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Darien Police responded to a report of a transaction involving counterfeit money at Pet Value (25 Old Kings Hwy. North) on Saturday, March 2 around 6:45 p.m.
Officers arrived and discovered that the suspect had fled the area. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that one suspect had successfully used a counterfeit $100 bill at the store, and two other suspects had allegedly tried and failed to use $100 bills at nearby retail stores “Chocolate Works” and “Wine Port of Darien.”
The bill used at Pet Valu and the bill left behind at Chocolate Works had matching serial numbers, which confirmed that they were counterfeit.
Based on store employees’ descriptions of suspects, a regional broadcast was given to local law enforcement agencies.
The Fairfield Police Department notified Darien Police around 10 p.m. that they had located and stopped a vehicle in Westport that matched the description given in the broadcast. Darien officers responded to the scene and identified three out of the four occupants of the vehicle as the suspects of the earlier incidents.
The suspects were identified as:
- Destiny Poole, 20, of New York, NY
- Shelton Anthony Petit-Brun, 27, of New York, NY
- Dayvon Jordan, 24, of New York, NY
Police also determined that the fourth occupant, 23-year-old Raquan Salaudhin Hicks of Newark, New Jersey, was allegedly involved in the Darien incidents as well.
The suspects’ vehicle was searched, and police recovered numerous pieces of evidence connecting them to the counterfeiting incidents in Darien as well as those in other jurisdictions. The vehicle, which had been rented by Petit-Brun, was subsequently towed from the scene.
All four suspects were arrested and transported to Darien Police Department for processing. Officers also recovered a total of $3,300 in counterfeit hundred dollar bills with the same serial number during individual searches of the suspects.
The suspects face the following charges:
Poole (Bond: $50,000)
- First-degree forgery (3 counts)
- Six-degree larceny
- First-degree conspiracy to commit forgery (3 counts)
- Sixth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny (2 counts)
Petit-Brun (Bond: $35,000)
- First-degree forgery (3 counts)
- Six-degree larceny
- First-degree conspiracy to commit forgery (3 counts)
- Sixth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny (2 counts)
Jordan (Bond: $35,000)
- First-degree forgery (3 counts)
- Six-degree larceny
- First-degree conspiracy to commit forgery (3 counts)
- Sixth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny (2 counts)
Hicks (Bond: $35,000)
- First-degree forgery
- First-degree conspiracy to commit forgery (3 counts)
- Sixth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny (3 counts)
Officers also determined during processing that Poole had an active warrant from the Fairfield Police Department for first-degree failure to appear. This was added to her list of charges and an extra $25,000 was added to her bond, totaling $75,000.
All four suspects remain in the custody of Darien Police Department and will be arraigned at Stamford Superior Court on Monday, March 4.
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