On Sunday, January 5, 2025, at approximately 12:28 PM, the Harwinton Resident Trooper was conducting proactive motor vehicle enforcement when they were flagged down by a witness at the exit 46 (old exit 42) commuter lot in Harwinton. The witness reported to the Trooper that they had observed an adult male, who was sitting inside of a gray Acura Integra with no front registration plate displayed, attempting to force entry into a red Jeep Wrangler parked in the commuter lot.
In the commuter lot, the Trooper moved their cruiser in a position to prevent the individual from fleeing, as they suspected an active crime was in progress. The Trooper exited their cruiser and approached the driver of the Acura, who was sitting inside the vehicle with the driver's side door open.
The driver was later identified by his CT ID card as Lawrence Patterson (DOB: 10/20/1953) of Meriden. When asked if he owned the Jeep, Patterson claimed that the Jeep belonged to a family members of his and that they had lost the keys to the vehicle. 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 on scene and one obtained a statement from the original witness. The witness included in their statement that they had observed Patterson using a tool attempting to pry into the rear end of the Jeep.
Another Trooper made contact with the registered owner of the Jeep who explained they they do not know who Patterson is nor did he have permission to gain entry into their vehicle. When the registered owner returned to their vehicle, they pointed out several areas of damage consistent with someone attempting 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. 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.
Based on the detailed investigation above, Patterson was arrested and transported to Troop L for processing where he was charged with the following violations:
C.G.S. 14-12(a) - Failure to Renew Registration
C.G.S. 14-147(c) - Misusing Registration Plates
C.G.S. 14-213b - Illegal Operation of a Motor Vehicle w/o Minimum Insurance
C.G.S. 14-215 - Illegal Operation of a Motor Vehicle while under Suspension
C.G.S. 53a-49/53a-103 - Criminal Attempt to Commit Burglary in the 3rd Degree to a Motor Vehicle
C.G.S. 53a-106 - Possession of Burglar Tools
C.G.S. 53a-116 - Criminal Mischief 2nd Degree
C.G.S. 53a-119b(c)* - Tampering w/ a Motor Vehicle
C.G.S. 53a-213 - Drinking while Driving
C.G.S. 21a-267(a) - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Following arrest processing, Patterson was held on a $20,000 bond and is scheduled for arraignment at Torrington Superior Court on 01/06/2025.
