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The incidents took place in Fairfield County beginning in January at five businesses, said Fairfield Police Chief Christopher Lyddy.
Daniel Oler, of Bridgeport, was arrested on Friday, May 8, following an extensive investigation in the wake of the robberies, said Capt. Robert Kalamaras.
The incident began on Sunday, Jan. 26, when police began receiving reports about a rash of overnight commercial burglaries, in which forced entry was made by spinning the locking mechanism to the front doors, Kalamaras said.
Similar burglaries had been occurring throughout Connecticut and law enforcement investigators believed that the same suspect was allegedly responsible, he added.
In Fairfield, five burglaries were reported between Jan. 26 and March 17:
- On Sunday, Jan. 26, Chaves Bakery, at 401 Kings Highway East, had an alarm activation at 1:30 a.m. Upon arrival, officers observed that the front door lock had been spun off and money was taken from the bakery.
- On Thursday, Feb. 13, Kings Deli, at 751 Kings Highway East, had an alarm activation at 11:51 p.m. Officers found the front door lock had been spun off. A small amount of money was taken from the cash register.
- On Sunday, Feb. 16, it was reported that an overnight burglary had occurred at China Wok, 1873 Black Rock Turnpike. Entry to the restaurant was made by spinning the lock and money was stolen from the register.
- On Thursday, Feb. 20, Blue Cactus, 2445 Black Rock Turnpike, had an alarm activation at 3:39 a.m. Officers observed the front door lock had been spun off. Two cash drawers and an undisclosed amount of cash were taken from inside the restaurant. Surveillance video showed a male wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt and gloves go behind the counter and take the two drawers.
- On Tuesday, March 17, the owner of Chef's Table, at 1138 Post Road, reported an overnight burglary in which the front door lock was spun out. The cash drawer containing an undisclosed amount of money was stolen.
Through the subsequent investigation and through working with multiple law enforcement agencies throughout the state, the suspect was identified as Oler.
An arrest warrant was issued for Oler and on Friday, May 8, he was spotted by a Fairfield Police detective outside of a restaurant on Howard Street.
As the detective approached Oler, he began to briskly walk away from the restaurant down an alley, Kalamaras said.
Oler was taken into custody a short distance away from the restaurant and was placed under arrest without further incident.
He was charged with five counts of burglary and held on a $25,000 bond.
"This was great investigative work by our department and I would like to thank the other local departments who assisted in the investigation," Chief Lyddy said. "Our business owners in Fairfield work extremely hard and hopefully this will put an end these types of break-ins."
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