'Caught With His Pants Down': Cheshire Man Charged in Theft

Changing your appearance following a crime may seem like a logical tactic – that is, if you aren’t caught red-handed with your clothes off.

A Cheshire man is facing charges after police said he stole $100 from a Main Street business in Middletown Wednesday afternoon and fled on a bicycle to a nearby parking lot where he was found by officers while changing his clothes.

Middletown police charged Cody Sanford, of Shagbark Court in Cheshire, on charges of sixth-degree larceny and possession of drug paraphernalia following the incident. He was released and is scheduled for arraignment in Middletown Superior Court later this month.

Police said they received a call from Brew Bakers Restaurant in Middletown just after 1 p.m. with reports that a man had stolen $100 in $20 bills from the cash register and fled through the front door before escaping on a mountain bike.

Officers allegedly found Sanford, 22, around the corner in a parking lot on Church Street trying to change his clothes.

“There was a used hypodermic needle in his pocket and $100 in cash in his wallet, which he told officers he needed to pay his heroin dealer,” a police report said. He was taken into custody without further incident.

Sanford is also facing a charge of violation of probation from the incident, stemming from a 2011 conviction for one count of possession of narcotics in Manchester. He pled guilty in the case and had previously been sentenced to three years in prison, execution suspended pending a three year probationary period, according to court records.

Middletown Patch Editor Cassandra Day contributed to this report.

Make sure to like Cheshire Patch on Facebook and follow on Twitter for breaking news, daily updates and more!