Two Men Charged with Shoplifting from Westport Clothing Store

Two men, ages 25 and 32, have been accused of stealing from a Westport clothing store on Friday afternoon, Westport police said, according to reports in the Westport News and elsewhere.

According to the reports (based only on police statements not proven in court):

Police downtown saw the pair acting suspiciously and watched them. One of the men was carrying clothing underneath his jacket. The two got into a car and drove off, but police later stopped the car.

When police approached the car and looked in, they found clothing from a local store (unnamed in the police announcement) along with security sensors, which had been removed from the clothing and were lying on the floor. The men didn’t have receipts for the new clothing, which had a total price of $434.64, and police later confirmed that it had been stolen from a store. Also in the car were wire cutters and magnets, tools frequently used for shoplifting.

Police charged Joel Toro-Pagan, 25 of Manhattan, and Michael Gomez, 32 of Cortona, NY with sixth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny and possession of a shoplifting device. Bond for each was initially set at $2,500, and if either met the bond, they are scheduled to appear March 23 in state Superior Court in Norwalk.