Shelton police Friday arrested a Stratford man they claim is involved in a string of smash and grab ATM thefts.
Terrence Brown, 26, of Stratford, allegedly drove a van into the All Star Petro Mart on Old Stratford Road on Sept. 28 and took the ATM, police said.
Brown was charged with third-degree burglary, third-degree larceny and first degree criminal mischief for the break-in. He was also charged with third-degree larceny and fifth-degree larceny, for allegedly stealing the van, and the seats inside of the van.
Police said several departments have been investigating various ATM thefts, which led to an arrest warrant for Brown’s arrest.
Shelton police said on Sept. 28, they responded to an alarm at the All Star Petro Mart at about 2:30 a.m. There, they found the windows of the shop smashed out and the ATM missing.
Later that morning, Shelton Police took a report of a stolen van from the downtown area.
The caravan was recovered with the back seats missing several days later in the vicinity of the All Star Petro Mart.
Police believe the stolen caravan was the same vehicle used to smash out the windows at the All Star Petro Mart.
Ansonia Police had a similar attempted theft at a gas station on Main Street the same morning as Shelton’s burglary. In that incident, the suspect was not able to get the ATM out of the building. Lt. Andrew Cota said he has not heard from Shelton yet about the case there, and doesn’t know if they are related.
Brown was arraigned at Superior Court in Derby on Friday.
Shelton police said they expect to make another arrest in the case soon.
