Ex-Calabro Cheese Employee Arrested For Burglary, Larceny Charges

A New Haven man who turned hostile after being fired as an employee at Coe Avenue's Calabro Cheese last October was arrested Tuesday on burglary and larceny charges, according to police reports.

In October 2010, East Haven police arrested Jose Santino, 31, following a post-firing altercation with manager David Velazquez, in which Santini told Velazquez “he was not the type of person to (expletive) with,” according to the East Haven report.

Santini was arrested for threatening in the second degree and disorderly conduct.

On Tuesday, Santini, and another New Haven resident were arrested in the Elm City in connection with a burglary in Branford and possibly Orange, too, according to the Branford report, which is provided below:

“At 11:12 a.m. today, Branford Police responded to Planet Fitness, 469 East Main St., on a eye-witness report of a possible vandalism. A witness said he/she saw a person standing near a car when a loud noise was heard.

The witness thought that he, (the suspect), dropped something, but then saw broken glass on the ground. The suspect noticed that he was being watched, grabbed a purse from the car and got into the passenger side of an
 older white Toyota Camry then exited the parking lot in a westerly direction on East Main Street. The witness called the police and Branford officers located the car described occupied by two white males heading south on I-95.

A short pursuit ensued, but was ended for safety reasons. The license plate matched the vehicle and was registered to a residence on Chamberlin Street in New Haven.

The New Haven Police were notified and a short time afterward, the suspect’s car was found on Chamberlin Street. Found in the vehicle was a set of
 photographs of a male matching the description of one of the suspects who was involved with allegedly breaking into the car at Planet Fitness.

The photograph was shown to a person on Chamberlin Street, who saw the person in the photograph exit the car and walk down Chamberlin Street. Carlos J. Strickland, who was seen in the photograph, was located a
 short distance from the vehicle and was taken into custody. Strickland took police to the location where he had dropped off his associate, Jose M. Santini.

Strickland, 33, of 560 Howard Ave., New Haven was taken into custody for reckless 
driving, engaging in pursuit, third degree conspiracy to commit burglary, third degree criminal mischief and fifth degree larceny.

Jose M Santini, 32, of 67 Chamberlin St., New Haven was charged with third degree burglary, fifth degree larceny and third degree criminal mischief.

Both Strickland and Santini are suspects in a car burglary which occurred in Orange, at a Kohl’s store earlier today where a briefcase was stolen from a car. The briefcase was recovered in Branford after suspects threw items from the window at the Exit 53 entrance ramp to I-95 south.

Both Santini and Strickland were released on written promises to appear in court.”

After the two men were released from the Branford Police Department, Santini was transported to the East Haven Police Department, where he was released on a $1,500 bond.

Santini is due in court on June 8.