In June, a woman reported to police investigators in Darien that her Dachshund dog had been taken from her Post Road apartment while she was away from the residence.
Police said that all the apartment doors were closed, the dog’s penned area was intact, but a rear door to the apartment was unlocked. Investigators noted that the dog was microchipped and could be positively identified if found.
After finding the dog missing, its owners put up posters offering a reward for its safe recovery, and was later contacted by a woman who said she believed she had seen the dog with another woman at a Bridgeport restaurant.
Investigators tracked down the woman at the restaurant, who stated that she had bought the dog from someone named Dean, who she could provide a cellphone number for.
The dog was returned to its rightful owner after the woman was able to positively identify Stratford resident Dean Henton, 53, who sold her the Dachshund for $40. Further investigation led police to camera footage of Henton on the Darien Tran Station platform with a brown dog under his arm on the day it was taken.
The investigation led to a warrant for Henton’s arrest, who had four other active warrants for failing to make court appearances.
On Tuesday, Aug. 18, members from the Stratford Police Department arrested Henton on the warrant, and he was transported to Darien Police Headquarters, where he was charged with burglary, larceny from a building and four counts of failure to appear.
According to police, the total bonds for all the warrants was $120,000, and the court-set bond for this incident was $12,500, which Henton could not post. No return court date has been announced.
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