Two Stamford Men Arrested During Residential Burglary in Wilton

Yesterday at 10:00 a.m., police received a report of a possible burglary in progress at a home on Kent Hills Lane, Wilton. The complainant apparently said that a white male had “forced open a door and removed several electronic items from the home,” according to the police report.

Two responding officers saw a white male walking away from the residence in question. A foot pursuit entailed as the suspect “ran into a wooded area”; the officers, Detective Kip Tarrant and Officer Gregg Phillipson, caught up to the suspect, apprehended and arrested him.

Police found a backpack filled with stolen property from the burglarized home hidden behind a tree.

Police identified the suspect as Kenneth Balfore, 46, of Stamford.

Upon further investigation, police found that two more suspects had been waiting in a vehicle nearby, and had fled the scene after seeing the police arrive. Police then apparently persuaded Balfore to call one of the suspects and get them to “return to a specific area under the impression he was picking up” Balfore, who apparently pretended to have escaped police.

When the two suspects arrived at the pre-determined location, they were arrested without incident by waiting officers. Police identified the suspects as Philip Paoletta, 57, of Stamford, and Gary Benson, 40, of Meriden.

All three were charged burglary and larceny in the third degree, as well as conspiracy. Balfore and Benson were charged with interfering with an officer. Police found that Benson was also wanted for violation of probation in Meriden and two failures to appear in Torrington.

Police held Benson on a $69,000 bond, Balfore on a $25,000 bond, and Paoletta on a $20,000 bond. All three will be arraigned at Norwalk Court today.