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‘They Work Very Hard’: New Canaan Police on Stolen Vehicle Investigations

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Those responsible for the daytime theft this month of a Range Rover with a dog inside the running SUV had been in New Canaan in the past in another vehicle, police said Wednesday. And what those criminals do here, Lt. Marc DeFelice told members of the Police Commission at their regular meeting, is “look for a mistake.”

“They look for you to leave your car unattended for that split 10 seconds and the keys are in it,” DeFelice said at the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “So they’re not following people for a long while—it’s just driving around looking for a high-end car and when the victim makes a slight mistake, they capitalize on it. Done in a split second, probably 10 seconds.”

Though the 2-year-old French bulldog has been returned safely to her owner, the Range Rover itself is still missing, police have said. In New Canaan, the incident raised concerns due to the brazen and potentially confrontational nature of the theft as well as the suspects getting away.

Government

Town Mulls Demolition of ‘Irwin House’

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Municipal officials say the town must decide whether to invest in the upkeep of Irwin House—needed exterior work is estimated at more than $1.3 million—or knock it down. Located in the Weed Street park of the same name, the brick Irwin House was built between 1961 and 1963 after the original 1920’s shingle-style house—once owned by IBM founder Thomas Watson, Sr.—burned down in a fire. Town officials are looking at the cost of tearing it down, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. In addressing a joint subcommittee of the Town Council and Board of Finance on Feb. 13, Mann said associated costs include an environmental review, environmental costs and the cost of demolition itself.

Government

Town Worker Files Federal Lawsuit Alleging Retaliation

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A longtime municipal employee last week filed a federal lawsuit claiming racial discrimination by the town. A part-time records manager hired by the town in December 2006, the plaintiff is an African-American woman older than 40, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court by Danbury-based attorney Josephine S. Miller. 

The plaintiff had filed a complaint last spring with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities claiming age and race discrimination. According to the new lawsuit, the town was served with a copy of the CHRO complaint on May 15, and the following day officials told the plaintiff that she “was no longer to sit at the desk of her supervisor,” the chief building official, “on any occasions when he was out of the office.”

Yet that manager “has always permitted employees under his supervision, including Plaintiff, to sit at his desk whenever he is out of the office, for online training, online testing or private calls,” Miller wrote in the complaint, received Feb. 14 by the town. It continued: “Prior to this directive from [the town’s human resources director], Plaintiff had never previously been isolated, nor had any distinction made between herself and other employees” under the manager.

Amy Murphy Carroll

Selectmen Put Off Vote on Redo of ‘Bridegroom’s Room’ at Waveny

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Saying they need more information, members of the Board of Selectmen this week put off voting on contracts for a future “bridegroom’s room” at Waveny House. Building officials came to the Board at its regular meeting Tuesday seeking approval for two contracts that would see a chandelier installed in a former IT Department office that the town now wants to convert into the groom’s room for weddings at Waveny. The room also would be painted, but the selectmen said they first need to understand how many lower wall electrical outlets are in it, and also what color it will be. “I don’t think we’re ready,” First Selectman Dionna Carlson said of voting on the contracts, totaling about $15,000. “I don’t think we’re ready for this one.

Animal 411

New Canaan Police: 50 Bobcat Sightings in 2024

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New Canaan Police say they received 50 reported sightings of bobcats in 2024, down from 66 in 2023 though that’s likely just because residents are growing more accustomed to seeing the normally reclusive felines. Another bobcat sighting, on Lambert Road, came in on Tuesday. Animal Control Officer Sean Godejohn said residents shouldn’t approach the animals. They are naturally wary of people “and pose little threat to public safety or health,” according to Godejohn. 

Bobcats are a top-predator in Connecticut that feeds on rabbits, woodchucks, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, voles, white-tailed deer and birds—and sometimes unsupervised domestic animals such as small livestock and poultry, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Godejohn noted that “unprotected pets and livestock” are at risk with a recent rise in reported sightings.