Police: Heroin Addiction Cause of September Burglary Spree

A man arrested for burglarizing at least six Waterford homes in September, along with homes in other towns, told police his heroin addiction was the driver behind his alleged crime spree, according to court records reviewed by Patch Monday.

Scott Tyrone, 32, of 615 Bank St, New London was arrested this month on seven counts of burglary and a host of other charges after he allegedly admitted to burglarizing at least six homes throughout Waterford in September, along with homes in New London and other towns. Tyrone allegedly stole mostly jewelry and other gold items, including one man’s Navy medals, which he sold to gold-buying stores and pawn shops to fuel his heroin addiction, according to court records.

“Tyrone stated that he was burglarizing homes to support his heroin habit,” New London Police Officer Matthew Galante wrote in an arrest warrant. “Tyrone also stated that he was driven by his addiction and was under the influence of heroin while committing the burglaries.”

The Full Story

In September, Waterford Police issued a warning to the public after at least six homes were burglarized in the span of a few weeks. The burglarized homes were spread out throughout Waterford, as Tyrone was later charged with burglarizing homes on Vauxhall Street Ext, Niles Hill Road, Old Norwich Road, Fog Plain Road and others.

Police originally arrested Tyrone in September for sixth-degree larceny after they found a gold watch at a Groton pawn shop that was stolen from a home on Fog Plain Road. The owner of the pawn shop said Tyrone sold him the watch, leading to an arrest, according to court records.

After that connection, Waterford Police, working with New London Police who also reported a string of recent burglaries, tracked what other items Tyrone sold to pawn shops and gold-buying shops. Many of the items they found were items reported as being stolen from Waterford homes, according to court records.

On September 26, two Waterford Police detectives interviewed Tyrone, who admitted to them that he burglarized at least six homes in Waterford, along with two in New London and more in other towns, according to court records. He said he was addicted to heroin and needed the money to support his addiction, according to court records.

The next day, New London and Waterford Police officers searched his New London apartment. There, they found more items reported stolen from Waterford and New London homes including 57 savings bonds, along with a bag of heroin, according to court records.

Tyrone is being held in custody and he is scheduled to appear in court on December 13th. The Waterford Police Department added that more arrests could be coming from this string of burglaries.