MONROE, Conn. — Monroe police detectives’ investigation of a burglary at FM One Stop last September led to the arrest of one of the three suspects on Wednesday. On Sept. 14, the store at 447 Monroe Turnpike and the Shell station on Route 111 in Trumbull were burglarized about six minutes apart.
Rafael DelValle, 29, of Hartford, was charged with conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary, conspiracy to commit criminal mischief in the third degree and conspiracy to commit fourth-degree larceny and remanded into the custody of his parole officer and taken to the Hartford Correctional Center.
He was assigned a $50,000 court set bond and is scheduled to appear in court in Bridgeport on Feb. 11.
Monroe detectives are continuing to work with area police departments in an effort to identity the other two suspects.
On Sept. 14, police responded to a burglar alarm at FM One Stop at approximately 2:10 a.m. when dispatchers notified them of another burglary that occurred at the Shell station in Trumbull, in which three suspects fled in a Saab 9-3.
Monroe officers arriving at the scene found damage to the front door of FM One Stop, among the signs of forced entry into the business. Inside, the Lotto ticket machines and cash registers were thrown about on the floor and hanging by wires, and loose change littered the front entrance, according to police.
Detectives processed evidence at the scene and it was determined that around $2,800 in cash stolen, along with two cash drawers, had been stolen. Repairs of the damaged front door were estimated at $500.
Monroe’s detectives worked with other agencies investigating similar crimes and were able to locate the Saab in Waterbury. When DelValle was developed as a suspect, they applied for an arrest warrant, which was signed by a judge.
On Wednesday afternoon, detectives went to the Division of Parole and Community Services in Hartford and arrested DelValle when came to see his parole officer, police said.
A DUI arrest
A 21-year-old Trumbull man was charged with DUI on Jan. 30, when an officer patrolling the Century Plaza parking lot at 535 Monroe Turnpike observed a 2017 Audi Q 7 parked with the engine running directly in front of Warehouse Wine & Spirits around 8:40 p.m.
The officer found an unconscious man in the driver’s seat, police said, adding the windshield wipers were on despite the fact it was not raining. For the driver’s safety, police said the officer opened the vehicle door and shut off the engine before trying to wake the man up.
Police said the driver seemed confused with the officer spoke to him, his speech was slow and delayed and the odor of an alcoholic beverage emanated from him. Asked if he drank any alcohol, he admitted to having one shot, according to the report.
While running the man’s driver’s license, the officer learned he was required to have an Interlock Ignition Device in his vehicle since May of 2025, police said. The Audi did not belong to the driver and had no device in it, police said.
Field sobriety tests determined the driver was under the influence, leading to his arrest and police said a breath test at headquarters showed a blood alcohol level that was roughly three times the legal limit.
The officer had observed fresh damage to the entire right passenger side of the vehicle, but police said officers could not find evidence of anything he could have hit in Monroe and there were no reports of a vehicle matching the description involved in accidents with evading in surrounding towns.
He was released after posting seven percent of his $1,000 bond for a Feb. 17 court date.
A warming center
Due to a brutally cold weekend in the forecast, the town will make the training room of the Monroe Police Department, 7 Fan Hill Road, available to the public as a warming center for any residents who may need it.
The Sun’s Policy on Using Names in Police Reports
Before the internet, newspapers routinely published names in the police blotter. The arrestees would be embarrassed for a few days, before most people forgot about it. They served their penalty and could move on with their lives. The issue with the article was archived in a library and could become an issue again if someone researched it.
Since the internet, the arrestees’ names can be searched online and the article will always come up. Even if the arrest was long ago and they are leading better, more productive lives, the report always looms over them.
Because of this, The Sun only uses names of people in police reports for some of the more serious crimes and incidents: murder, brutal beatings, child abuse, robberies, burglaries, car thefts, thefts of thousands of dollars or more, sexual assault, pedophilia and fatal crashes.
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