Youths Arrested On Trespassing Charges At Fairfield Hills

After receiving a report of a suspicious vehicle at Fairfield Hills about 8 pm March 21, police went to the area to investigate, after which they charged two boys with criminal trespassing.

Police said they responded to the Trades Lane area, near the former Fairfield Hills power plant, and located a white Dodge Ram pickup truck parked in a wooded area nearby. The truck had a brown tarp thrown across one side of it to obscure it from view, police said.

Police said they searched the grounds looking for the people who had left the truck there. Police then waited at the truck and spotted two males walking toward the vehicle. Those youths were on the grounds after Fairfield Hills closed to the public at 30 minutes after sunset, and thus were considered trespassers, police said.

Police said that Matthew T. Stauffer, 18, of Brookfield was found to be carrying burglary tools, including a bolt cutter. Also, a BB rifle and a large-bladed knife were found inside Stauffer’s pickup truck, police said.

Stauffer was charged with second-degree criminal trespassing, possession of burglary tools, and possession of weapons in a motor vehicle, according to police.

The other boy, a 17-year-old from Brookfield, is considered a “youthful offender,” and thus his identity is shielded from public disclosure, police said. That boy possessed two homemade “smoke screen” fireworks, police said.

Police charged that boy with second-degree criminal trespassing and with illegal possession of fireworks.

Sergeant Doug Wisentaner said that both youths were cooperative with police. There was no evidence of any break-ins having occurred at Fairfield Hills, he said.

Police said they released both defendants on written promises to appear in court on April 4.