NEW HAVEN — A man who broke into vehicles parked at a local trailhead apparently dropped his cell phone in one of the cars, and he surprised the owner of the car when he returned to retrieve it.
Vermont State Police report that someone broke the windows of and stole items from two motor vehicles at the parking area at the Watershed trail off Plank Road in New Haven late in the afternoon on Monday, Nov. 28. A local woman told a trooper that she came back to her vehicle to find a rear window smashed; she found a cell phone inside her vehicle that did not belong to her, and she put it in her pocket.
The woman recounted to police how a man arrived at the scene while she was sizing up the situation, grabbed onto her, took the cellphone in question from her pocket and fled the scene.
She described the man as a white male possibly in his late 30s, 5 feet-9 inches tall, approximately 160 pounds, wearing a black knit beanie, beige Carhartt pants and a dark jacket. He was last seen driving a red pickup — it was believed to be a Chevrolet S10 — with Vermont plates travelling westbound on Plank Road in New Haven.
Police said the woman was not assaulted when the man retrieved the cell phone from her pocket.
Anyone with information is asked to contact of the Vermont State Police at 802-388-4919. Information can also be submitted anonymously online at www.vtips.info or by texting “CRIMES” (274637) to Keyword: VTIPS.
The Vermont State Police are currently investigating this and other car break ins throughout Addison County. They remind hikers parking in secluded areas and trail parking lots to please avoid leaving any property in plain view from outside of the vehicle on seats or floor areas.