Date: Fri 15-Aug-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

police-Riverside-nocturnal

Full Text:

Police Focus Efforts To Nab Riverside's Nocturnal Intruder

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Police are investigating a series of unusual nocturnal incidents during recent

weeks in the Riverside section of town.

An unknown person, probably a man, has been entering homes in Riverside

between 2 and 4 am, according to police.

At least three such incidents have been documented, said Sergeant Henry

Stormer, acting head of the police department's detective division.

Newtown police have called in the state police major crime squad to help

investigate the incidents, according to Sgt Stormer. Also, police departments

in Southbury, Monroe and Oxford have been made aware of the situation, he

said.

On August 5, the Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad's evidence

collection van went to an Underhill Road home in Riverside where an incident

had occurred at 3 am that morning.

The victims unfortunately waited until late morning to notify police of the

intrusion, thus allowing the trail of evidence in the case to grow cold, Sgt

Stormer said.

The state police's forensics laboratory is analyzing the evidence taken from

the scene, he said.

In the reported cases, the unknown man has opened an unlocked door or cut a

screen window to gain access to a residence, the sergeant said.

The intruder enters a home and goes to a room where either infants or small

children are sleeping, he said. In two cases, infants were approached by the

intruder. In the third case, a small child was approached.

The sergeant declined to provide further details about the intruder's activity

within the homes. No physical injuries have resulted from the intrusions, he

said.

Police are focusing their investigation in the Underhill Road area between

Alpine Drive and the Housatonic Hotel. The Riverside section is on the

Housatonic River, in the area of Interstate 84's Rochambeau Bridge.

The nighttime incidents have led police to boost surveillance in the area and

conduct door-to-door interviews of residents, the sergeant said.

The Riverside section is a difficult one in which to do surveillance work, he

noted, pointing out that it contains steep slopes, cliffs, large rocks,

outbuildings, large bridge abutments, and many other places to hide.

Police are looking for people living in the area who have criminal histories,

Sgt Stormer said.

Police have conducted a neighborhood meeting for area residents concerned

about the nighttime intrusions, and raised the possibility that residents form

a neighborhood crime watch to keep an eye on suspicious activities, the

sergeant said.

Sgt Stormer urged that residents lock their doors, keep their windows locked

and install sensor lights. Sensor lights detect motion, turning themselves on

when an object is moving through their field of view. The lights, he said, may

allow someone to get a good enough look at the intruder to identify him.

Sgt Stormer urged Riverside residents to remain calm, be cautious, and employ

reason in dealing with the intrusion problems.

Police are doing everything possible to solve the string of intrusions, short

of placing a police officer in every home in Riverside to watch for intruders,

he said.

On June 30, police reported they were investigating a case of criminal

trespassing in the Riverside section.

Police said a Riverside resident told them a male was seen inside his home

during the nighttime when the occupants were present. No items were taken.

Police also received reports of two similar incidents in the Riverside section

on June 21.

The detective division is investigating a report made to police at 2:48 am on

June 21 from a couple on Underhill Road who told them they heard noises in

their residence. When the couple checked it out, they found their infant had

been moved from one place to another.

Later that day, police received a complaint from another Underhill Road

resident who told them he had seen an unidentified male in his house about

1:30 am that day. When the man was confronted by the resident, he left the

building, according to police.

Police ask anyone with information about these incidents to contact the

detective division at 270-4235 or the police tip line at 270-8888.