Meriden Man Tried To Break Into Jeep In Commuter Lot: State Police

MERIDEN, CT — A Meriden man is accused of trying to break into a vehicle at a commuter lot Sunday afternoon in Harwinton, according to Connecticut State Police.

Police said a state trooper was patrolling the area around 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 5 when they were flagged down by a witness at the Route 8 Exit 46 commuter lot on Litchfield Road in Harwinton.

The witness told the trooper they had seen a man, who was sitting inside a gray Acura Integra with no front registration plate displayed, trying to break into a red Jeep Wrangler parked in the commuter lot.

The trooper then moved their cruiser to prevent the Acura from leaving because police said they believed an active crime was in progress. The trooper got out and approached the driver of the Acura, who was sitting inside the vehicle with the driver's side door open, according to police.

The driver was later identified as 61-year-old Lawrence Patterson of Meriden.

“When asked if he owned the Jeep, Patterson claimed that the Jeep belonged to a family member of his and that they had lost the keys to the vehicle,” police wrote in a news release. “When asked to shut the vehicle off and provide his operator's license, Patterson slammed the door shut and began reaching around within the vehicle. At this point, the Trooper gave Patterson several verbal commands to show his hands, to which he complied. The Trooper directed Patterson to open the door, since the exterior door handle was missing, to which he complied but then began reaching towards the center console with his right hand out of sight. Patterson was given several commands to show his hands, to which he would briefly comply before attempting to reach around his right hip area.

“With the driver's side door now open, the Trooper directed Patterson out of the vehicle but he began to resist efforts to be detained in handcuffs. Once detained, Patterson denied being in possession of any weapons, however, the Trooper conducted a pat down for weapons on his person and located a pocketknife and an Allen key set. During the investigation, the Trooper located an open alcohol container inside of Patterson's vehicle. Patterson was later asked to perform the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, to which he passed to standard. Additionally, the Acura being operated by Patterson was displaying registration plates which did not match the Acura, was not properly insured and registered, and Patterson's license was determined to be suspended.”

Additional troopers arrived and assisted with the investigation. The original witness said they saw Patterson using a tool to try to pry into the back of the Jeep, according to police.

The registered owner of the Jeep was contacted and told troopers that they didn’t know Patterson and he didn’t have permission to enter their vehicle, according to police.

When the registered owner returned to their vehicle, police said they pointed out several areas of damage consistent with someone trying to break into a vehicle.

“While on scene, Troopers conducted a search of Patterson's vehicle, as it was believed to contain evidence of a crime,” police wrote. “A search of the vehicle revealed that Patterson was in possession of a flat-head screwdriver (which showed evidence of having been recently used), a glass pipe containing a dark residue, a plastic bag containing a white substance (within the center console), a hypodermic needle containing a liquid residue, and a wallet containing several credit cards and gift cards belonging to other individuals.”

Patterson was arrested on charges of second-degree criminal mischief, criminal attempt to commit third-degree burglary, possession of burglar tools, tampering with a motor vehicle, drinking while driving, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to renew registration, misusing registration plates, operating without insurance, and operating motor vehicle while under suspension. He was being held in lieu of a $20,000 bond with a court date of Feb. 11, according to state judicial records.