Suspect arrested in North Canaan break-ins

NORTH CANAAN — A suspect in at least two burglaries last December was arrested on a warrant March 24.Jason Heath, 26, of 50 Bank St. in Winsted was charged in connection with break-ins at Rite Aid and the Great Wall Chinese restaurant in the early morning hours of Dec. 23. The Subway sandwich shop next to the Great Wall was also broken into that morning, but was not included in the arrest warrant, according to a report issued by Troop B.The burglar allegedly used a screwdriver to break the glass in one of the front doors at the Main Street (Route 44) pharmacy, where he grabbed about $600 worth of cigarettes from behind the front counter. Residents of neighboring apartments were awakened at about 3:15 a.m. by the store’s alarm. They saw a man leave the Rite Aid parking lot, driving fast with the lights off, in what was described as a vehicle that could have been Heath’s tan 1999 Nissan Maxima.A short time later, state police attempted to stop a car matching that description on Route 44 in North Canaan. He was apprehended and charged with driving with a suspended license. He was arrested again, on a warrant, Jan. 5. He was charged with failure to obey the signal of an officer, reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and making a false statement.Heath’s March 24 arrest brings charges of third-degree burglary, second-degree criminal mischief and sixth-degree larceny for each of the Rite Aid and Great Wall burglaries. Bond was set at a total of $95,000. He was scheduled to appear in Bantam Superior Court March 26.