WESTPORT, CT — Three people were arrested last week in Westport, after police tracked a vehicle suspected of being involved in attempted car thefts across several Connecticut towns, according to authorities.
At about 2 p.m. April 30, law enforcement agencies began sharing information about two vehicles believed to be traveling together and linked to attempted auto thefts in Connecticut. One of the vehicles had been reported stolen earlier in the day from a dealership in Waterbury. Investigators said the car appeared to have been taken without keys.
"This situation suggested that a key programming
computer potentially was used to create a new electronic key fob," wrote Westport Police Lt. Anthony Prezioso in a statement.
Before entering Westport, the vehicles were last seen in New Canaan, where two masked individuals were reported to have exited and attempted to steal another car.
A Westport police officer later spotted one of the vehicles traveling northbound on the Sherwood Island Connector. Officers followed the vehicle without initiating a stop and maintained visual contact until it pulled into the rear parking lot of the Compo Shopping Center on the Post Road East.
Police detained three occupants in the vehicle, identified as Waterbury resident Aniyah Resto, 19; Dwayne Watson Jr., 20, also of Waterbury; and a 17-year-old juvenile. Officers reported seeing a ski mask and an "Autel" key programming device in plain view inside the car.
All three were charged with conspiracy to commit larceny of a motor vehicle. The juvenile was processed, given a court date, and released to a parent.
Bond for Resto and Watson was set at $7,500 each. Both posted bond and were released. They are scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on May 13.
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