Burglary Suspects Arrested In Westport: Police

WESTPORT, CT — Two men accused of breaking into a Westport store in July and causing $2,000 worth of damage were arrested this week, according to police.

In a news release, Police Lt. David Wolf said Terell Hendrick, 27, and Carlos Ortiz, 32, both of Bridgeport, were arrested Wednesday.

The arrests were made in connection to a July 11 incident, during which Westport police were called to the Merritt Country Store on Main Street around 3:30 a.m. after a burglar alarm at the store was activated. Wolf said the store's front door had been forced open and the business had been burglarized.

Though the owner told officers nothing appeared to be missing, $2,000 worth of damage had been caused by the forced entry, Wolf said. Surveillance footage checked by police showed two men enter the store and leave about a minute later.

Later that morning around 5 a.m., police in a neighboring community interrupted a burglary in progress and the suspects fled in a small pick-up truck. Norwalk and Westport officers pursued the vehicle, which was occupied by two men, but ultimately called off the chase for safety reasons, Wolf said.

Wolf said one of the men also tried to throw items from the truck at the pursuing officers to slow them down.

"It was believed that the individuals involved in the burglary in the neighboring town also committed the burglary in Westport," Wolf said in a news release.

Westport detectives worked closely with neighboring communities who also reported commercial burglaries that same morning and identified Hendrick and Ortiz as suspects, Wolf said.

Police later obtained additional evidence tying the two men to the burglary and they were arrested on warrants Wednesday, Wolf said.

Hendrick was charged with third-degree burglary, conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny, first-degree criminal mischief, disobeying the signal of an officer and throwing objects at a motor vehicle.

Ortiz was charged with third-degree burglary, conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny and first-degree criminal mischief.