Man Accused Of Stealing Dog From Darien Home And Selling It: PD

DARIEN, CT — A 53-year-old Stratford man was arrested last week by police in connection with the June theft of dog from a Darien home that he later sold to a another person for $40, according to authorities.

Dean Henton, of Barnum Terrace, was apprehended on a warrant by Stratford police on Aug. 18 and was turned over to Darien police officers who charged him with third-degree burglary and larceny from a building (listed as third-degree larceny in court records). Separately, Henton also was charged with four counts of first-degree failure to appear in connection with unrelated violations.

According to Darien police, the theft brown, microchipped dachshund occurred sometime between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. on June 12 from an apartment in the 1000 block of the Post Road.

"That day when [the owner] returned to the home at [9 p.m.], the dog was not in the apartment and all the doors were closed," Darien police said. "Further, the penned area where the dog had was intact but the rear door to the residence had accidentally been left unlocked."

The owner posted signs about the missing dog, which offered a reward for its safe return, and soon was contacted by someone who said they thought they had seen the dachshund with a woman at a Bridgeport restaurant. Restaurant employees provided the dog's owner with the woman's name.

"The [owner] made contact with the female who indicated she bought the dog from someone named Dean," police said. "Arrangements were made and the dog was returned to the complainant."

Darien police officers contacted woman who had purchased the dog who the officers that she had bought the dog for $40 from a person named Dean, and gave the officers Henton's cell phone number.

"Officers were able to get the cell phone subscriber information, which identified the owner of the number as Dean Henton," police said. "A photograph was shown to the female who had purchased the dog, and she confirmed that the male in the photo was the person from whom she had purchased the dog."

Additionally, police said officers obtained surveillance camera footage from the Darien train station that showed Henton on the station platform with a brown dog under his arm on the date of the theft.

Darien police obtained a warrant for Henton's arrest, which was carried out by Stratford police.

Henton was held in lieu of bail of $132,500 (a combined $120,000 for the failure to appear warrants; $12,500 for the burglary/larceny warrant), and he remains in custody. He is scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on Oct. 8.