Westport police have arrested a man accused of posing as a guest at a Connecticut wedding and stealing a newlywed couple’s wedding gifts.
Frank A. Burnett, 30, of Mansfield, is accused of stealing a bird cage filled with several wedding cards during a reception at the Longshore Inn in Westport at 7 p.m. on Oct. 10.
Police officers responded to the inn that night and determined that a man had been posing as a guest at the reception or the hotel and was loitering in the lobby and talking on the phone before grabbing the birdcage and walking out, police said.
Police set up a perimeter, brought in a K9 unit and searched the grounds, but only found the empty bird cage. Then, they released surveillance of the theft to news outlets in Connecticut and new New York and the tips started coming in.
Police said Burnett attended a different wedding at the in weeks earlier and returned on Oct. 10.
He turned himself in today after learning about a warrant for his arrest and was charged with fourth-degree larceny.
He posted $2,000 bond and is due in Norwalk Superior Court on Nov. 17.
