A sick shoplifting suspect made a terrible choice for a getaway car.
Paul Monka, 56, of Hartford is accused of stealing $224 worth of baby formula from the Stop & Shop on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford, according to a report in the Hartford Courant. Monka unwittingly made his way to the home of West Hartford Assistant Police Chief Robert McCue.
McCue's wife Renee was pulling out of the driveway when the frail-looking Monka asked her for help and climbed in before she could reply, police told the Courant.
"I was sort of nodding while listening to him, and I think he took that to mean yes," Renee McCue told the Courant Thursday. "It was strange."
McCue backed up the driveway and summoned her husband, who was off-duty at the time and cutting the lawn.
Monka told the couple his car had broken down and he needed a ride into the town center. He got out of the car and walked away after Robert McCue insisted on calling police for help.
"It was just a story," McCue told the Courant. "He was a booster trying to get away."
Monka was arrested at a Farmington Avenue bus stop after officers traced a path from McCue's house. There they found a shopping bag with the baby formula.
He is charged with sixth-degree larceny for stealing the baby formula and second-degree breach of peace for entering the McCues' vehicle, according to the Courant report.
Monka was arraigned Wednesday in Hartford Community Court, and is due back in court on Monday. Monka also has convictions on numerous larceny and burglary charges dating to 1991, according to state records.
Police could not locate a broken-down car. Also, the oxygen tank Monka carried was empty. It's not clear if Monka was using the tank as a ploy or really needed it.
