Clinton police arrested two men suspected of breaking into a Clinton pizza restaurant and stealing a cash register and alcohol after identifying them using surveillance footage from a business next door.
Erick Killburn, 23, of Madison, and Travis Senchenol, 19, of Killingworth, drove in a blue PT cruiser to Bella Maria Pizza about 6 a.m. on Saturday and broke into the restaurant through a back door, all of which was caught on surveillance cameras. The footage shows them leaving the business with a cash register and other items, which police said included $200 in cash and some change, as well as two bottles of alcohol, according to police After stashing the loot in the car, they left the scene, police said.
The restaurant owner came into work at about 10 a.m. and noticed the items were missing, reporting the burglary to police.
Senchenol has had "previous police involvement" in his blue PT cruiser, so police confirmed that the car in his driveway matched the getaway vehicle in the surveillance video and that he matched the description of one of the burglars, police said. Officers also found clothes in the front seat of his car that matched the clothing description of one of the burglars and cases of Gatorade, police said.
Police questioned him and showed him a portion of the surveillance footage. Senchenol later confessed to the burglary and another at a Madison Sift Ball field concession stand, so police notified Madison police, according to a news release from the department. Clinton police turned stolen items over to Madison police.
Clinton police later arrested Killburn as the second suspect. he has a prior criminal record in Clinton and used to work at Bella Maria Pizza in 2012, police said. He confessed to the crime, giving police the stolen alcohol bottles and some of the cash.
He told police that the rest of the cash was stashed near a swamp off Route 81, where police found part of the cash register, police said.
Police charged Senchenol and Killburn with third-degree burglary, fourth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit burglary.
Police held Senchenol and Killburn on $10,000 and $20,000 bonds, respectively. Both are due in Middletown Superior Court on Aug. 25.
