WOLCOTT, Conn. — 41 cars at Countryside Apartments and Clearview Hills Condos on Wolf Hill Road in Wolcott were broken into Friday.
Thomas Crawford, 31, is facing 41 counts of burglary, criminal conspiracy to commit burglary, criminal mischief, and more. He was arrested Friday. Hannah Casperson was taken into custody Sunday after leading police on a half-an-hour pursuit. She allegedly injured seven Waterbury officers and caused $135,000 to eight patrol vehicles during the chase which ended in Monroe.
In the arrest warrant for Crawford obtained by FOX61, Crawford admitted to police he and Casperson would break in and steal together. He was involved in multiple break-ins that Thursday and Friday.
The apartment complex is home to seniors, mostly on social security and a fixed income. Police said they do not believe the two knew of this.
If those with damaged vehicles do not have comprehensive auto coverage, insurance may not cover the repairs of the windows, meaning they would have to pay out-of-pocket.
That could be hundreds of dollars neighbor Diane Kapp said they need.
“With the economy, the way it is now everything is more expensive,” she said. “A lot of us don’t have disposable income so when these surprises strike, sometimes you just say, “Where is the money going to come from?”
Night vision sunglasses and some loose change were stolen from her car. She does have insurance that will cover the repair but knows many in the complex who don’t.
She said many get a check at the beginning of the month and that’s what they have to spend.
“It’s a hardship for them, actually for me too. Fortunately, I have insurance so they paid for it,” James Durand, who also had his vehicle broken into, said. “He broke in and just made a mess of it.”
Crawford was found with a window punch and glass in his pocket. Police said they believe the two saw an opportunity with many cars in one spot. Although, he admitted they did not get much from the vehicles.
Many neighbors are still trying to figure out how to replace the windows.
One shared on Facebook she doesn’t have glass coverage and has to dip into her social security to foot the bill.
That’s what motivated Kathy Flanagan to start a fundraiser to help.
“For, I know my one friend, it would probably be life-changing to her. She’s living on a very fixed income,” she said. “It’s just heartless. Totally heartless and I think that’s a big reason why I wanted to do this fundraiser.”
Flanagan, who lives nearby in Terryville, is from Wolcott. She has several friends who live at the complex. She said it can become hard to manage social security with current prices.
She’s not the only one who saw an opportunity to help. Kulmann’s Automotive Body Shop Manager Tommy Centinaro reached out to Flanagan to see how they could help.
“Advice on trying to get their cars fixed,” he said. “We can’t fix the car at no cost but try to do whatever we can for the customer. Being that they’re all seniors and so forth.”
He said they would look at offering discounts to those without insurance.
Neighbors said it’s “exceptional” that there are people who want to help. You can find the Facebook donation page here.
If you'd like to donate click here.
Tony Black is a multi-media journalist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tblack@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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