Police Blotter: Narcotics Charges, Suspicious Follower

The following information was provided by the Darien Police Department:

Thursday, Sept. 9

DiSORDERLY CONDUCT: Sunil Rajan, 47, of New Canaan was charged with disorderly conduct after an argument with his girlfriend reportedly escalated. Police, who responded to the woman's West. Ave. residence around 12:40 a.m., said the pair had been drinking and became engaged in a loud verbal argument pertaining to a past relationship. Rajan reportedly threw a chair and pushed the woman down at one point, though no injury to the woman was visible. Rajan was issued a summons and released on a promise to appear in court later that morning.

DRUG CHARGES: Jennifer Stuart, 33, of Oceanside, N.Y. and Matthew Wolf, 39, of San Francisco were arrested on multiple drug charges after police conducted a search of their SUV Thursday.

Both were charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, while Stuart was additionally charged with possession of narcotics.

Police initially received a report of suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of Elements Yoga & Wellness Center with a man and a woman inside. When officers arrived on the scene, they found Stuart standing next to a 2000 Ford Explorer with all of its doors open. Numerous items of clothing were also strewn about the ground, which Stuart said had been removed to clean up the car before meeting friends.

Stuart told police that Wolf had taken a walk in the wood and that he was "a little drunk." When officers encountered Wolf, he smelled strongly of alcohol.

As both and Stuart had criminal histories that included narcotics charges, police brought in Zulu, the department's drug detection dog, to conduct a free-air sniff. After Zulu turned up multiple positive hits, police conducted a search of the vehicle, where they found three metal pipes, about a gram of marijuana, and a small amount of cocaine.

Stuart and Wolf were held on $2500 bond apiece, which they did not post. Both appeared in court Sept. 10.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE: Matthew Dennis, 26, of Stamford was charged with driving under the influence after a traffic stop.

Police first pulled over Dennis's 2008 Subaru as it was clocked driving about 50 mph on West Avenue near Leroy Avenue. While Dennis was interviewed, an officer noticed a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from the man. Dennis failed subsequent field sobriety tests and was held until he posted a $250 bond. He is set to appear in court Sept. 20.

Friday, Sept. 10

BREACH OF PEACE: Pedro Estrada, 30, of Norwalk was arrested and charged with breach of the peace after he reportedly followed women alongside Darien roads on two separate occasions.

Police were first contacted by a woman who, while walking on Rings End Road, said she had been followed by a man gawking and smiling at her. She said the man eventually approached her, asking her for contact information and details about where she lived. When she rebuffed him, he also asked if he could touch her.

The second incident occurred on Pear Tree Point Road, in which two women said a man meeting Estrada's description had followed them, keeping pace even as they sped up. Based on information provided by the women, police were able to locate Estrada and take him into custody.

Estrada was unable to post a $1000 bond and was held by police until his Sept. 13 court date.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE: Phillip Ripperger, 43, of Rowayton was charged with driving under the influence after police observed his 1994 Nissan Altima attempt to drive through the Post Road railroad underpass while it was closed for construction. When an officer—who had been parked nearby with his lights on—observed Ripperger's behavior, he pulled his vehicle over and began to interview him. 

There, the officer noticed a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from Ripperger, who failed subsequent field sobriety tests. He was arrested and released on a $250 bond. Ripperger is set to appear in court Sept. 21.

Saturday, Sept. 11

LARCENY: A Darien man was arrested Saturday after stealing the tip jar from Michael Joseph's Catering as he ostensibly applied for a job there.

Read the full story: Alleged Tip Jar Thief Simplifies Matters for Police