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Officers responded to an active burglar alarm at the BP Station at 1358 Post Road at about 2 a.m. Sunday, police report.
Officers at the scene found that a glass door had been smashed and the station had been burglarized, police said.
A search began, and within a few minutes, an officer spotted a male running east on the Post Road near Ledge Road while carrying a backpack, police said.
The suspect, identified as Alex Nelson of West Des Moines, was detained, police said. A search of Nelson’s backpack turned up six cartons of cigarettes that had been stolen from the BP Station, police said.
He also had a black and gray knit hat and black gloves in his possession, police said.
Detectives recovered video surveillance footage from the gas station, showing Nelson as he smashed the door, entered the store area of the BP Station and took the cartons of cigarettes, police said. Nelson was wearing the knit hat and the gloves at the time, police said.
Police said Nelson had no apparent ties to Connecticut and was on his way to Canada to live.
Nelson told police that he had run out of money and committed the burglary in order to sell the cigarettes to buy food.
Nelson was arrested and charged with third-degree burglary and fifth-degree larceny, police said.
He was held on $10,000 bond for an Aug. 4 appearance in Stamford Superior Court, police said.
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