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Wilfred Matias, 39 of Vine Street, was brought in on an arrest warrant after Stratford Police found him riding a scooter and transferred him to the Reef Road headquarters in Fairfield, police said.
Matias was connected to the crime after selling a large load of jewelry to East Coast Pawn in Bridgeport, where he signed his name and address, police said. According to police, officers were able to connect the jewelry to the home in Fairfield through a Movado watch, whose serial number matched one of the many items the homeowners reported as stolen.
When brought in for questioning, Matias said he had bought the jewelry off the streets in Bridgeport and was selling it to a pawn shop to turn a profit, police said. Matias, according to police, later admitted to being addicted to heroin and said he and a friend had decided to drive around Fairfield and find a place to burglarize on Nov. 11.
When police showed Matias photos of the home, officers said he did not recognize the front or the back of the home because he was “dope sick” at the time. When Matias was shown a photo of the side of the split family home, he was able to identify the house, police said.
The homeowner said she had left at 9 a.m. on Nov. 11 and returned at noon but did not notice anything missing, according to police. When she came back from work at 5:30 p.m., she noticed her double French doors had been forced open, police said.
Neighbors, who did not report the crime, said they noticed during the late afternoon that the homeowners’ two dogs were wandering around the front yard and returned them to the Woodside Circle home, closing the gate without incident, police said.
Police said Matias broke into the home and went straight upstairs to the master bedroom and stole:
- A gold wedding band with six diamonds
- An anniversary ring
- A gold bangle bracelet, also with diamonds
- A gold ring with a ruby and two diamonds
- A gold necklace, also with diamonds
- A gold pin, also with diamonds
- A ruby dragon pendant on a chain
- A men's wedding band with the couples' initials engraved
- A high school ring engraved with a name and a year
- A Fairfield Prep white-gold class ring engraved with a name
- A platinum wedding ring with diamonds
- A Movado watch
- A Gucci watch
- A string of pearls
- A locket with photos
- A pair of gold hoop earrings
- A pair of stud diamond earrings
- Various gold chains
- A gold shamrock pin
- A pair of turquoise earrings
- A turquoise necklace
- A cameo antique ring
- Costume jewelry
- A gold heart necklace
- A Nikon camera with a memory stick
- $5 worth of change
Matias has been charged with third-degree burglary and third-degree larceny. He is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 12 and was held on $10,000 bond.
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