NEWTOWN — A 21-year-old New York City man was arrested Tuesday morning after he was accused of looking through the windows of a home on Jeremiah Road the previous night, according to police.
Reynaldo Colon was charged with second-degree criminal trespass, assault on public safety personnel, interfering with an office, larceny of a motor vehicle and cruelty to animals, said Newtown police Lt. Scott Smith.
Smith said officers were called to the home Monday evening and, as officers responded, a person ran into the woods. Officers used a drone unit and multiple K-9 units from area departments, including state and Bethel police, to search the area, according to Smith.
During the search, officers found a stolen motor vehicle parked in the area and coordinated with New York State Police to obtain a possible identity of the suspect, Smith said.
The next day at around 6:30 a.m., another resident in the area of Jeremiah Road saw the suspect walking in the area, Smith said. He said local police were assisted in the search by K-9 units from state police and officers from Monroe, Brookfield and New Milford.
Smith said Colon was apprehended around 8 a.m. with the assistance of a K-9 unit. He noted Colon punched and kicked the police dog as he was being taken into custody, leading to the assault and animal cruelty charge.
Smith said Colon was then transported to Danbury Hospital. He said the suspect remains in police custody and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.
In addition to the trespassing, Colon was accused of stealing a vehicle in Sharon and another in Monroe, New York, over the the past two days, Smith said.
The investigation and arrest were a “significant coordinated effort” with multiple police departments, the Newtown Emergency Communications Center, the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps and local residents, according to Smith.
“Our department received numerous phone calls and tips from the public that assisted in this investigation,” Smith said.