Manchester Man Sentenced To 42 Months In Prison For Bristol Burglary

By Justin Muszynski, The Bristol Press

June 14, 2022

A Manchester man who police say stole more than $100,000 worth of property during a Bristol burglary has been sentenced to prison.

Jeffrey Pitkin, 51, faced sentencing this week in New Britain Superior Court, where a judge handed him a 42-month prison term.

The prison sentence comes after Pitkin last summer took a plea deal over the summer, pleading no contest to charges of first-degree larceny and third-degree burglary. One count of third-degree criminal mischief has been dropped.

Pitkin was charged in a 2018 burglary after police identified him using surveillance footage, according to court papers. He was also charged with violating his probation, which he was serving for 2016 convictions of violation of a protective order and first-degree failure to appear.

According to the arrest warrant, the victim in the burglary, a Bristol woman, reported on Oct. 26, 2018, that her home had been broken into and rummaged through. About $101,000 worth of property, consisting of mostly jewelry, was reported missing.

During the investigation, police used surveillance footage from a nearby neighbor to pinpoint when the burglary had happened. The footage showed a suspect entering the home around 12:30 p.m. and leaving shortly after 1:40 p.m.

The victim viewed the footage and said she believed the suspect was Pitkin, who was known to her, the warrant said. Further, police later found that Pitkin's then-girlfriend, Sara Gintick, had sold an engagement ring - valued at $40,000 - that was stolen in the burglary, according to court papers. Gintick was also charged.

According to the warrant, about $62,000 worth of the stolen items were recovered during the investigation. The rest was still missing when the warrant was signed by a judge.

According to judicial records, Gintick in December 2019 was sentenced to a year in prison, suspended, and two years of probation. She pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree larceny, a misdemeanor, which was reduced from a felony first-degree larceny charge.

Justin Muszynski can be reached at 860-973-1809 or jmuszynski@bristolpress.com.