A Vernon man is accused of stealing from a grieving family when he went to their home with someone who went to provide comfort after the loss of a family member.
Police said they received several calls just before 8 p.m. Thursday about a disturbance on Loveland Hill Road, in front of Rockville High School, and found 44-year-old Miguel Estrada was being held down inside a car.
Officers learned that Estrada has been at a home on Hartyl Drive in Vernon earlier in the evening with a friend who had gone to the house to comfort the family whose close family member who died earlier that morning.
Police said Estrada didn’t know the grieving family.
While he was inside the home, Estrada allegedly went into one of the bedrooms and stole a change container.
The homeowner caught him and told to leave, then later found a purse discarded in a bathroom and noticed credit cards and cash were missing, police said.
The victim and family members then went to Estrada’s home and were waiting down the street for police to arrive when they saw Estrada in a vehicle, confronted him and restrained him until police arrived.
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Estrada was uncooperative and tried to walk away from officers, according to police. He was taken into custody after a briefly struggle and had credit cards that belonged to the victim, pills and tablets police believe to be ecstasy.
Estrada was arrested and charged with possession of narcotics, sixth-degree larceny, interfering with police and interfering/resisting police.
He was held overnight on a $20,000.00 bond and will appear in Rockville Court today.
Cameron Melton, 29, of Vernon, was driving the car Estrada was and police said he had an extraditable warrant from New Hampshire for violation of probation and was charged as a fugitive from justice.
