Police have arrested a man accused of stealing nearly $18,000 worth of merchandise from a store in Berlin and more than $50,000 worth of goods throughout the state.
The arrest came after officers on Thursday around 11:30 a.m. were alerted that Hugo Mariera Esquilin, 36, was in the Harbor Freight store on Webster Square Road allegedly trying to steal welders, according to Dep. Chief Drew Gallupe of the Berlin Police Department.
Officers responded to the store and took Esquilin into custody following a foot pursuit, Gallupe said. They also had to use a taser on him to “overcome his resistance,” according to Gallupe.
Gallupe said Esquilin is “well known” to police and staff at Harbor Freight, as a months-long investigation implicated him in 14 different thefts since April involving welders and torque wrenches that were taken from store locations in Berlin and around Connecticut. The Berlin store reported a total of about $17,911 in losses, according to Gallupe. Across the state, Esquilin is believed to have allegedly stolen more than $50,000 worth of merchandise, Gallupe said.
A warrant investigators obtained for Esquilin’s arrest charges him with second-degree larceny and organized retail theft. He was also charged in connection with the attempted theft on Thursday and was found to have eight warrants out for his arrest charging him with failure to appear in court in five different jurisdictions, where he faces similar theft charges, Galllupe said.
Esquilin was held on bonds totaling $158,500 pending a court appearance.
Gallupe said the investigation being conducted in Berlin remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Officers R. Johnson or P. Kennedy at 860-828-7080.