Crime & Safety

Traffic Stop Leaves Alleged Thief Out in the Cold

Middlebury police discovered a stolen motorcycle on a routine traffic stop, charging two Waterbury men in conjunction with the crime…but for very different reasons.

Officers first spotted the black Honda motorcycle Monday afternoon driving erratically on Rt. 63. According to the police report, the driver, 47-year-old Douglas Elliott of Waterbury, “didn’t seem to know how to ride the motorcycle.”

After stopping the vehicle, police discovered the motorcycle was reported as stolen from Manchester in August of this year.

Elliott told police he was driving the bike back to Wolcott as a favor for his friend, 31-year-old Curtis Grant, also of Waterbury, because the weather was cold and Grant had no jacket.

Grant corroborated his friend’s story, and now faces third degree larceny charges, among others. He was released on a $1,000 bond and will appear in Waterbury Superior Court later this month.

Elliott isn’t off the hook, however. He was charged with several traffic violations, including operating a motorcycle without a license.

Police also discovered Elliott had an outstanding failure to appear warrant in Naugatuck for other motor vehicle charges.


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