East Hartford man facing burglary charges in Ellington

Aug. 9—An East Hartford man was arrested this month in connection with the theft of a vehicle from Ellington and the use of a credit card he found inside it last fall.

The man, Kai Tate, 19, of Columbus Circle, was charged Aug. 3 with first-degree burglary, first-degree larceny, third-degree identity theft, and illegal use of a credit card.

He is being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Vernon Superior Court on Sept. 14.

The affidavit supporting Tate's arrest provides the following details:

On Nov. 12, 2021, state police were dispatched to a home on Deerfield Lane in response to a reported stolen vehicle.

The owner reported that she had parked her car in the garage the night before, and thought she had closed the garage behind her.

However, that morning she woke up to a notification on her cellphone alerting her about a declined transaction on her bank card, and when she looked in the garage her car was gone.

Her debit card had also been used at an ATM machine in East Hartford to withdraw approximately $800.

Troopers on the scene determined that the woman's motorized garage door wasn't functioning properly, as it would hit the sensor and return to the open position, so it likely opened overnight.

While in Ellington, state police found an abandoned vehicle on Pioneer Drive near the home that had been reported stolen from East Hartford several days before.

State police went to the ATM and another location where the woman's credit card had been used, and obtained surveillance video from both. They were then able to identify Tate as a suspect.

The woman's vehicle was spotted driving in Hartford later that day, and was followed by officers with the Auto Theft and Violent Crime Task Force into Manchester.

Police used stop sticks, forcing the vehicle to stop on South Main Street. Tate fled on foot, and a juvenile girl who had been reported missing from Hartford was found in the back seat.

Tate eluded police that day, but was arrested in an unrelated case in March in East Hartford, and state police were able to speak with him about the events in Ellington.

Tate admitted he and three others drove to the town that night in November looking for cars to steal, and found the one on Deerfield Lane, which was unlocked with the keys inside.

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