Police in Branford, Conn., over the weekend arrested two men suspected of stealing tires in a spree of thefts from Honda dealerships in the city and throughout the state.
According to local reports, Branford police investigated three thefts or attempted thefts of tires and rims from Brandfon Honda; police departments in nearby Wallingford, Milford and Watertown have all investigated similar thefts from Honda dealerships.
The thefts occurred on Friday and Saturday nights, or during the early morning hours, and an older model tan Nissan Altima was involved in the Watertown thefts, police said.
So last Friday, Branford Police, armed with night vision and encrypted radio communications equipment, set up surveillance at Brandfon Honda. Around 3 a.m. Saturday, police saw a tan Nissan park by the side of the dealership and watched as two men entered the property and removed tires and rims from a new Honda parked on the dealer’s lot, local reports said.
Officers then arrested Damian Liberda, 31, and Athanasios Hasiotis, 29, both of Berlin, Conn. Liberda was charged with third-degree criminal attempt to commit larceny, third-degree conspiracy to commit larceny and third-degree criminal trespass. Hasiotis was charged with third-degree criminal attempt to commit larceny and third-degree conspiracy to commit larceny.