Police Arrest Parsons On Multiple Felony Charges

By Andrew Gorosko

On July 29, Newtown police at Danbury Superior Court served multiple felony arrest warrants against Shane Parsons, 36, formerly of Bonnie Brae Drive, charging him with 26 criminal offenses stemming from 13 incidents, including the June 17 robbery of Newtown Savings Bank on Main Street, and the June 13 robbery of the GameStop electronic game store at Sand Hill Plaza on South Main Street.

Parsons was arraigned on the charges before a judge in court.

Parsons was being held on $800,000 bail on August 4 in the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield in connection with more than 40 criminal charges pending against him stemming from incidents in Newtown, Brookfield, Waterbury, Naugatuck, and Middlebury.

Newtown police said their arrest of Parsons follows a lengthy investigation into the various burglaries and robberies he is accused of committing.

Police also said they hold as-yet unserved arrest warrants for another suspect in the robberies of both the Newtown Savings Bank and the GameStop store, in apparent reference to Carl Valluzzo, 37, formerly of Danbury, whom police believe criminally aided Parsons in both incidents.

Valluzzo was being held on August 4 on $400,000 bail at the MacDougall-Walker facility on multiple criminal charges in connection with his alleged participation in various crimes with Parsons in Waterbury, Naugatuck, and Middlebury.

In the Newtown Savings Bank robbery, police charged Parsons with first-degree robbery, conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery, second-degree larceny, and conspiracy to commit second-degree larceny.

Police allege that at about 11:30 am on Thursday, June 17, Parsons entered the lower-level lobby of the Newtown Savings Bank and demanded money from a teller. Parsons allegedly passed a note to the female teller, stating that he had a gun, but no gun was shown during the incident. There were no injuries.

After obtaining the cash, the robber left the bank. Newtown police were called to the scene. A state police tracking dog was brought to the bank to seek the suspect who had left the area. The school system placed a lockdown on schools in the area after learning of the bank robbery.

Later that day, Waterbury police located Parsons and Valluzzo at a Bridgeport motel, charging them in connection with a Waterbury bank robbery that they allegedly took part in immediately before the Newtown bank robbery.

The charges filed against Parsons in the GameStop robbery are first-degree robbery, conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery, second-degree larceny, and conspiracy to commit second-degree larceny.

Late on the morning of Sunday, June 13, the GameStop electronic game store at Sand Hill Plaza at 228 South Main Street (Route 25) was robbed.

There were no injuries in the incident in which Parsons allegedly stole an unspecified amount of money from a male store cashier.

Police have said that Parsons allegedly handed the cashier a note indicating that he had a handgun and demanded cash. The cashier then gave the man some money and the robber fled the scene. The robber did not display a weapon. There were no injuries.

Also, Newtown police charged Parsons with multiple offenses stemming from recent burglaries that occurred at homes on Berkshire Road, Madison Drive, Boggs Hill Road, Cedar Hill Road, John Beach Road, and Ashford Lane.

The 18 charges related to those incidents include nine criminal conspiracy counts, plus multiple charges of second-degree burglary, third-degree burglary, second-degree larceny, and third-degree larceny.

Parsons has not yet pleaded to any of the charges pending against him in connection with the Newtown incidents.

Besides the Newtown offenses, Parsons is being held on charges related to early May burglary/larceny cases in Brookfield, a June 17 bank robbery in Waterbury, a June 15 bank robbery in Naugatuck, and a June 12 house burglary in Middlebury.