Meriden police are asking for help from the public to find a 55-year-old man who has been missing since Saturday afternoon.

Thomas Benarro was last seen at his South Meriden home around 3 p.m. on Saturday.

He suffers from anxiety and depression and needs his medication, according to police.

Benarro is 5-feet-9 and weighs about 190 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.

When he was last seen, he was wearing blue jeans and a gray shirt with “Zion National Park” on it.

Anyone with any information regarding Benarro is encouraged to call the Meriden Police Department at 203-630-6201.
 

Being Commander in Chief is stressful, but former President George W. Bush has the perfect antidote: golf.

In a clip from the season finale of "In Play with Jimmy Roberts," airing Tuesday night on the Golf Channel, Bush said President Obama should keep golfing, despite what critics say.

"You know, I see our president criticized for playing golf," Bush said. "I don't - I think he ought to play golf. Because I know what it's like to be in the bubble. And I know the pressures of the job. And to be able to get outside and play golf with some of your pals is important for the president. It does give you an outlet."

Still, even Bush himself stopped playing in 2003 during the height of the Iraq war.

"I don't want some mom, whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf," he said in an interview in 2008.

The Golf Channel reports that Obama has played more than 140 rounds since he first took office in 2008.

A toddler's uncle and grandmother were arrested Tuesday after dogs fatally mauled the boy while he was visiting family in Colton, Calif., the night before, police said.

Authorities received a report that a dog had killed someone in the 700 block of Citrus Avenue at about 5:30 p.m., according to a Colton Police Department statement. Officers arrived to find a 2-year-old with severe injuries to the upper body, the statement said.

The child, Samuel Zamudio (pictured, right) of Rialto, died at about 6 p.m. at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner. He was not at his own home at the time of the attack.

The boy's uncle, Marco Zamudio, 23, and grandmother, Eustulia Zamudio, 42, were booked Tuesday morning on suspicion of child endangerment leading to death, police said.

Animal Control officers took custody of five pit bull mixes at the scene of the attack. It was not clear how many of the dogs were involved.

A family friend and neighbor told NBC4 Samuel turned 2 years old in April. She joined family members in a search for the boy after he went missing at about 5 p.m. Monday.

About 30 minutes later, Erica Vega said she heard screams coming from the family's backyard. The grandmother had found Samuel's body with bite wounds to his head and neck.

Anyone with information can contact Colton Police Detective McFarland at 909-370-5000.

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• Costco Selling $17,000 Bottle of Scotch
• Paralyzed Skateboarder Wants to Ride in LA Marathon
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Three days after a marketing professional was beaten and left for dead outside his suburban Bay Area home, police said that they are questioning "several" teens from two high schools in the city about the attack.

Pleasanton Police Sgt. Maria Munayer, speaking at a news conference Tuesday, declined to say much more about the "active" investigation into a brutal attack on David Lamont, a father, husband and 51-year-old co-founder of Marketingsage who was badly beaten just after midnight Saturday morning on the normally sleepy dead-end Middleton Place.

Munayer confirmed that Lamont went outside his home just before midnight Friday night when he heard "loud voices" and confronted some "juveniles making noise."

She said officers are interviewing teens, whom she described as "persons of interest," and urged community members to come forward if they had any information to share.

Munayer did not specify the number of teens possibly involved and she did not identify the schools attended by the teens being interviewed. Pleasanton Unified School District Supt. Parvin Ahmadi said district is cooperating with authorities, but declined to say more. Lamont's two daughters, Fiona, 19 and Orla, 15, attended and currently attend schools in the district.

The witness who saw an SUV leave the scene just after midnight talked to NBC Bay Area, asking to remain anonymous. He said he was just pulling up to his street when he saw a "golden or metallic brown" SUV pull away from the area. Within moments, a flood of police cars and fire trucks had appeared, responding to an earlier 911 call.

As of Tuesday morning, no one had been arrested and Lamont remained in a coma at Eden Valley Medical Center.

MORE: Pleasanton Man in Coma After Beating Outside Home

"It's so horrible and so cruel," Lamont's wife, Agnes Lamont told NBC Bay Area on Monday. "The fact that they left him there to die -- I can't understand it."

Lamont was visibly shaken as she recounted how she went to search for her husband of nearly 25 years when he didn't return. She was stunned to find him lying in the street bleeding and unconscious. She is also his business partner; the two co-founded Marketsage in 2002, and had moved to the Bay Area from their native Ireland.

"They've broken our lives," Lamont, who did not attend the news conference at the police station on Tuesday, said on Monday. "My husband is in danger and he did nothing to deserve this."

Neighbors agree.

Sandy McDonald said she thought the beating was "horrible," and she doesn't feel safe herself, a sentiment echoed by others who live nearby, too.

Those who know Lamont are praying that he'l soon recover, and they are remembering him as a vibrant person, devoted father and patent holder, too.

He and his wife helped his daughters get a patent in 2011 for a product they named a "Yuckease," a combination scoop, scraper and container to pick up unpleasant or hazardous items. The family was issued a trademark for this invention in April.

Anyone with information should call Pleasanton police at (925) 931-5100.

NBC Bay Area's Christie Smith and Terry McSweeney contributed to this report.

More Bay Area stories:

• Google Executives Globetrotting on Taxpayers' Dime
• Casual Commuters Robbed of Electronics
• California Cyclists Will Get 3-Foot Buffer Zone
• Landmark New Teachers Contract in San Jose
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A South Windsor man has pleaded guilty to stealing a semi-automatic rifle from an East Windsor gun shop in December. 

According to federal authorities, Jordan Marsh, 27, stole a Windham Weaponry 5.56 caliber semi-automatic rifle from the front counter of Riverview Gun Sales on Dec. 11. 

No employee saw Marsh steal the gun or realize that it was was missing until Hartford Police retrieved it from Marsh's hotel room on December 17, according to police. 

On December 15, the day after the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Marsh was arrested for allegedly trying to steal a Bushmaster .50 caliber rifle from Riverview, according to authorities.

Police raided the shop a couple days later and a police source told NBC Connecticut the raid came after the attempted theft.

"There's been some issues over the last week or two that we're investigating," said Chief Edward J. DeMarco, of the East Windsor Police Department, said at the time.

The store, which has since closed, was also in headlines after the gun shop owner said he sold a gun several years earlier to Nancy Lanza, the mother of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter.

Marsh is accused of stealing around 12 firearms from Riverview.

On Aug. 27, Marsh pleaded guilty to attempted theft of the Bushmaster and was sentenced to eight years in prison and is in state custody. 

Marsh will be sentenced on Dec. 17 in connection with the theft of the Windham semi-automatic rifle.

Bridgeport police have arrested the man who they said burned the cars of his estranged girlfriend and her sister.

According to police, 37-year-old Pedro Rodriguez set the cars on fire around 12:45 p.m. after getting into a dispute with the two women.

While police were investigating the first car fire at Livingston Place, the second victim called her sister to report that her car was also on fire on Brooks Street.

One of the victims told police she believed Rodriguez had set the fires, authorities said.

Police headed to Rodriguez's home on Park Street and were waiting outside when he returned.

A state police K-9 unit was able to link Rodriguez to the crimes by sniffing his clothing, police said.

Rodriguez was arrested and charged with two counts of reckless burning, first-degree criminal mischief and first-degree reckless endangerment.

His bond was set at $10,000.

Cardinals safety Rashad Johnson unknowingly lost a finger during game on Sunday and used what digits he had left to tweet about it.

Johnson displayed the grisly injury in a tweet Monday night that included a photo of the severed middled finger from three different angles -- just in case there was confusion that it was a lopped off finger.

Johnson removed his gloves from the sidelines at Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints and noticed that a part of his middle finger went missing. After he found it in his glove, Johnson was removed from that game and he and his middle finger went to the hospital.

"I'm not even sure how it happened," Johnson told USA Today. "If I had to take a guess, I would say maybe it dug into the turf there and snapped back and broke it that way. My glove was torn or ripped, which makes me think it didn't get caught in a facemask or a cleat stepped on it."

If the gruesome injury sounds painful, that's because it was.

"Had exposed bone and skin shaved down yesterday and stitched up. Prob most painful injury I've had," he tweeted.

#thefinger Blessed to be able to still go out and do what I love this season. #thankful #trulyblessed #birdgang pic.twitter.com/Z9WYq5TUz1

— Rashad Johnson (@49foyamind49) September 24, 2013

Galloping through backyards and back roads, a moose on the loose has made its way to New Milford.

The moose, identified as a young male, was spotted on Route 202 on Monday afternoon. By Tuesday morning, he had wandered into downtown.
 
Dozens of onlookers stopped along the road to snap pictures of the moose as it wandered into Bob Heffernan's backyard.
 
"There was traffic, crowds and police cars, and you wonder what’s going on at your house," Heffernan said. "Then I heard it was a moose, and I was like, 'Really? A moose?'"
 
The moose was spotted downtown on Tuesday morning, strolling through the New Milford Hospital parking lot. Police had to respond and help herd it away.
 
"We were able to block off some of the roads and guide the moose into a more wooded area," Lt. Lawrence Ash said.
 
DEEP is reminding those who consider taking pictures that moose can be dangerous. They can charge at you at any moment and officials have no idea where this moose will pop up next.
 
"Last we saw him he was headed east towards Roxbury," Lt. Ash said. "Hopefully he is off to greener pastures."

In the wake of recent moose sightings in New Milford, Farmington and East Haddam, DEEP also urges drivers to use extra caution and be observant while driving in areas where moose have been spotted. 

Moose near roadways pose a particular danger because once struck, they are more likely to collapse through a vehicle windshield due to their tall stance.  They are also difficult to see when driving at night.

Connecticut’s moose population is estimated at 100 to 150 animals and they are found most often in the northeastern and northwestern wooded corners of Connecticut but have been seen in most other parts of the state.


The moose has created quite a buzz on Twitter.

Moose tried coming into the hospital without an appointment #moosespotted #moose #newmilford @ New… http://t.co/bRKazsWeLB

— Jamie Pisano (@jamie_pisano) September 24, 2013

I just saw a moose walking around in the hospital parking lot...... Um what someone explain

— ❁briyya❁ (@bwiyyaaa) September 24, 2013

There is even a Facebook page for Marty the New Milford Moose, documenting his journey around town.

If you spot wildlife in Connecticut, snap a photo and and share it with us at shareit@nbcconnecticut.com

One person was killed in a crash involving a car and a tractor-trailer in Griswold this morning, according to police.

Police said Joanne M. Gulmond, of Seabrook, New Hampshire, died this morning after the car she was riding in drove through a stop sign and was hit by a tractor-trailer.

Gulmond's car was traveling northbound on an access road to Interstate 395, and the tractor-trailer was driving westbound on Route 138, according to police.

Roland Gulmond, who was driving the car, was not hurt. Police said he was cooperative.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, who lies in New York, was uninjured.

Route 138 northbound was closed at exit 85 but reopened around 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to police.

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Stratford police have arrested two men in connection with two recent burglaries.

Love Millet of Bridgeport and Cameron Random of Derby, both 21, are accused of stealing from a home on Birdseye Street and attempting to burglarize one on Columbus Avenue, according to police.

Police said the resident of 484 Columbus Avenue called on Sept. 19 to report that a man had entered her home. The resident said she scared him off, sending him running through the neighbors’ backyards, according to police.

He was seen riding in a white Ford Explorer with South Carolina license plates. Police said the suspect and car matched the descriptions of those involved in previous burglaries in Stratford and surrounding towns.

According to police, Random was found waiting in the car on Garibaldi Avenue and Millet was found hiding behind a home on Priscilla Lane.

They said jewelry stolen from 795 Birdseye Street was found in Millet’s pocket, and a stolen TV was discovered in Random’s trunk.

Millet was charged with third-degree burglary, sixth-degree larceny, interfering with an officer and criminal impersonation. Police also served him with a court-ordered arrest warrant for violation of probation, authorities said.

Random was charged with conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary and fifth-degree larceny.

Both men were held on $100,000 bonds and arraigned Sept. 20.

The investigation is ongoing.

Good news for customers of the Aquarion Water Company: the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority has reined in the company’s proposed double-digit rate increase, reducing the spike from 17 percent to 8.6 percent.

In March, Aquarion applied to increase rates by 17 percent in September and continue raising rates over three years. PURA responded by allowing a one-time 8.6-percent increase, which will take effect following the review of a compliance filing in October, according to a statement from PURA.

“The approved rate design moves Aquarion’s company-wide rates closer to statewide equalization,” PURA said in the statement.

The regulatory authority also lowered Aquarion’s request for allowed return on equity from 10.6 to 9.63 percent, according to the statement.

PURA justified its ruling by saying inflation-related expenses will be lower and revenue to be higher than Aquarion anticipated.

Aquarion customers attended public comment hearings and wrote letters to PURA voicing their concerns about the proposed rate increase.

Prior to the decision, PURA held several public comment hearings, giving customers the chance to voice their opinions and express their concerns.

The water company serves more than 185,000 customers in 47 towns and cities around the state.

PURA said the plan “is undergoing final technical revisions and edits” and will be available no later than Wednesday.

New Haven police have ramped up security after a spike in downtown violence, and this Friday, officers took it a step further by doing spot checks in bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

They checked permits and made sure everything was up to code and that everyone inside was legally allowed to be there.

Establishments like Kelly's Restaurant and Bar said the officers provide an extra set of eyes and helped enforce the regulations that are already in place.

“We make sure that everybody that enters our place is over the age of 21," said Kelly's Restaurant owner Patrick Hogan, "and we do check all IDs and if we're in any way unsure, we ask them for a second form of identification."

The increased security comes a week after two shootings and a number of fights in the nightclub area and aims to curb the violence.

Business owners said they have mixed feelings about the extra patrols.

“It's good that it's hopefully going to prevent something from escalating into something bigger, but unfortunately, it's hurting our business here because it's preventing a lot of the everyday people from coming downtown because they're afraid," said Hogan. "They're afraid to go out and have a drink or two and then be caught for drinking and driving.”

The owners of nearby Temple Grill wonder how extra security makes their establishment look.

“When you go a bar or restaurant and you see a lot of police or a big doorman presence, it sort of alerts a person, like, 'Oh, why do we need this for safety?'” said Chris Candido, a partner at Temple Grill.

Overall, however, they said they're happy something proactive is being done.

“I think the synergy between the police force, the EMT services and the liquor commission staying down here and showing they have stamina is good for the moment," said Candido. "It's eliminating the problems, which is causing the mature crowd to want to come into the city.”

New Haven police said they will maintain increased patrols on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in the downtown area until they believe things are under control.

The drive-in movie theater is a tradition long-loved by many, but long-forgotten by others, and Barkhamsted residents are concerned their theater might be closing for good.

People in Barkhamsted remember going to the Pleasant Valley Drive-In on Friday and Saturday nights while growing up.

But as movie makers go all-digital at the end of the year, this classic American drive-in theater is in danger of shutting its doors.

“My father was the projectionist,” said Deborah Brydon of Barkhamsted, “and my mother worked in the ticket booth and the kitchen.”

With iPhones, iPads and other portable electronics, movie distributors are doing away with 35mm film, rendering these classic pieces of American history obsolete.

“The town is obviously very interested in keeping it," said Barkhamsted First Selectman Don Stein. "It’s symbolic of the town. It’s an inherit part of the community, in the fabric of the community.”

But in order to stay open, the drive-in will need $80,000 to buy a digital projector. The theater entered a contest to win, but on Monday night, learned that it lost.

Stein said that even though generations of the town’s 3,800 people have enjoyed movies at Pleasant Valley, the town itself can’t afford to offer any help.

“I’ve got six months to try and raise the money and get new projectors in here,” said drive-in owner Donna McGrane. “So hopefully we can get some fundraisers going and make it happen.”

McGrane said she was upset after getting the news on Monday, but as people began offering help, she regained some optimism.

“I didn’t realize how many people cared about the drive-in, especially in Barkhamsted,” said McGrane. “It’s been incredible, the support I’ve gotten."

After 13 years without health insurance, a small business owner in Stamford is finally planning to sign up for coverage, thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

Brenda Cerezo said she could never afford health insurance.

"Very expensive," Cerezo said. "It was like 700 or 800 dollars a month."

She's owned Cerezo Salon for 17 years and has two employees but has never been able to provide them with health care coverage either.

"It was a lot," she said. "It was too much money even for them to pay the deductible."

Cerezo said she's anxious to sign up for a health plan on the brand new exchange, where a number of individual and group plans are offered at competitive rates. The exchange goes live next Tuesday.

Cerezo plans to sign up right away.

"This will help me, and I can help my employees too," she said.

Access Health CT is the quasi-state agency in charge of the exchange. For months, the organization has worked to spread the word about open enrollment.

"The state will be ready," said Kevin Counihan, CEO of Access Health CT. "We're looking pretty good."

Thousands of uninsured and under-insured are expected to enroll in a plan being offered on the new health insurance marketplace. Costs could be even lower for those who qualify for subsidies.

Counihan said he didn't expect a mad rush to sign up.

"We're expecting very few, if any enrollments in October," he said. "The bulk of the enrollment will be in the three week period after Thanksgiving."

Talk of a government shutdown in Washington and threats to defund the health care law won't impact Connecticut's exchange because the funds have already been allocated, Counihan said.

He adds that just the talk of a shutdown could have unintended consequences.

"I think this potentially could lend confusion to, in fact, that the whole law has been shut down, deferred canceled or something like that," said Counihan.

Hartford police are responding to the report of a stabbing at the Travel Inn Motel on Weston Street.

Police responded to the scene around 4 p.m. Tuesday, where they found a victim with multiple stab wounds. The victim was transported to Saint Francis Hospital.

Injuries do not appear to be life threatening, according to police.

The Hartford Police Major Crimes Division is investigating to identify a suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Hartford police.

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An outraged crowd gathered at a Coatesville meeting Tuesday night in which school board members are deciding whether they should fire or accept the resignations of two top administrators who sent racially-charged text messages on their district-issued cell phones.

Meanwhile, the district attorney confirms prosecutors have been investigating for several months whether the pair were engaged in money-skimming activities.

Coatesville Area School District Superintendent Richard Como and Director of Athletics and Activities Jim Donato resigned from their posts last month after an IT staffer, fixing Donato's phone, discovered N-word-laden text messages.

The district said it started the process to fire the pair once the text messages were found, but that the men resigned pending the board's approval.

A meeting in which the nine-member board, including the president of the town's local NAACP chapter, will deliver their final decision is still going on.

During the meeting, several Coatesville residents demanded answers and resignations. The school board also confirmed for the first time that Como and Donato are being investigated criminally for kickbacks in the athletic program.

The messages, first reported by The Daily Local of West Chester on Sunday and obtained by NBC10 Philadelphia on Monday, were uncovered by the district IT employee before the start of the school year, according to officials. That employee brought it to the attention of the school board on August 18, prompting Como and Donato to later resign. Chester County prosecutors eventually launched a criminal investigation and asked that more than 100 pages of transcripts be turned over to detectives.

"All should just have whatever first names they want...then last name is N-----! Leroy N-----, Preacher N-----, Night train n-----, Clarence n-----, Latoya n-----, Thelma n----- and so on," read one message sent from Donato’s phone on the night of June 4.

"Great idea! Joe n----- bill n----- snake n----- got a nice ring to it," Como replied.

“hahahahahahahahahahahaha could have whole homerooms of N-----,” came another message from Como’s phone.

“hahahahahahahahaha! Will N----- report to office, pardon the interruption but will N----- report to nurses office. N----- to lunch now!” Donato said.

Amid the racist messages were also conversations about district money.

"Gonna give them til Aug 1st to raise coin still want district to give at least 40k on top," wrote Donato in one of the texts.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan tells NBC10 Philadelphia on Tuesday that prosecutors have spent several months looking at whether Como and Donato were skimming district cash.

Sources say concerned parents went to prosecutors four months ago asking officials to look into potential financial wrongdoing in the district. The discovery of the text messages came months later.

"There are references in these texts about financial improprieties of missing money," Hogan said.

Hogan says an electronic forensics team has been deployed to look for additional evidence, but would not elaborate further citing the on-going investigation.

The district attorney's office asked the district to turn over copies of the conversations and the phones used once Hogan was made aware of the racist messages.

"The texts that we have reviewed are appalling," Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said Monday. "They look like something from the 1800s, not 2013."

NBC10 made multiple attempts over several days to speak with Como and Donato by phone and in-person, but at the time of publication, have been unable to make contact.

Como, a longtime and well-liked administrator, shocked the school community when he abruptly resigned from his post in the beginning of the school year on August 29. Donato left his job the same day. Coatesville is a predominately black community and both Como and Donato are white.

More than a week later, on September 10, school board officials said the two left their posts amid a criminal investigation by the county prosecutor. Officials, however, would not comment further, citing the investigation.

School board member and Coatesville Area NAACP Chapter President Dr. Tonya Thames Taylor was the first official to learn about the text messages on August 18. Officials say she immediately notified other board members and that an investigation was launched.

Following the initial report, Dr. Taylor posted a message on her website explaining her involvement in the situation.

"Despite this newspaper reporting, I am still bound by a legal responsibility to protect the school district from any liability that could be caused by any statements that I make which could be misconstrued," she wrote. "I cannot comment about any matters that involve district personnel, which are confidential matters. Also, I cannot comment on any matters that are associated with an ongoing criminal investigation."

“The racist and sexist language expressed by the two men was sickening and obviously unacceptable. The Board followed state and federal laws and moved as expeditiously as possible while simultaneously cooperating with the District Attorney,” Board President Neil Campbell said in a statement Monday.

District officials say they will now provide mandatory sensitivity training to all staff, faculty and administrators in light of the text messages.

Como and Donato have not been paid since their resignations, but will be allowed to collect their pensions unless they are convicted of a crime, officials said.

Angry residents started an online petition asking the school board to delay its retirement vote until the criminal investigation is finished. The petition garnered more than 1,200 signatures ahead of the meeting.

On Monday, residents also protested outside the district's headquarters. One man held a sign reading "Como worse than KKK!"

"They shouldn't even be in the school and they shouldn't be able to get a job no other place teaching anybody," said another resident Willie Woods.

During Tuesday night's meeting, the district employees who first discovered the texts claimed the district did not respond quickly enough, even though they feared for their jobs.

"A little integrity is better than a career!" said Dr. Theresa Powell, a Coatesville employee.

District officials insisted they had worked furiously behind the scenes to investigate the authenticity of the texts. They also acknowledged however that the messages only came to light as part of a larger criminal investigation into misspending on athletic programs.

"Attorney Ellison was told that there was an investigation regarding potential kickbacks involving high school football camps," said Coatesville School Board President Neil Campbell.

Also during the meeting, the Pennsylvania NAACP chapter announced they planned on holding a series on diversity conferences in Coatesville.

A decision on the administrators' firing still has not been made.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

A man flagged down San Diego police near the downtown headquarters early Tuesday morning, telling them his wife’s body was inside his car.

Now, officials say Americus de Orenday, 44, is considered a suspect in the woman's death, which the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office confirms was caused by strangulation.

The medical examiner was called to the scene, at 14th Street and Broadway near the SDPD headquarters, just after 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.

According to authorities, De Orenday approached two plainsclothes detectives walking toward the police station and told them his wife was dead inside his Ford F-150 pickup truck.

Police described his demeanor as calm as detectives examined the vehicle.

Detectives found a woman’s body on the floor board behind the driver’s seat. Initially, police said there was no apparent trauma to her body, but officers did say they spotted blood on the floor board.

The woman has been identified as 40-year-old Mirella Alas De Orenday.

There was a garden hose attached from the vehicle’s exhaust into the car’s rear window, officials said.

Detective Jorge Duran told NBC 7 San Diego there appeared to be a suicide attempt, but they are not sure who made the attempt and if it resulted in the woman's death.

Homicide investigators said De Orenday was sent to the hospital for several cuts on his arm. He is now in jail on suspicion of murder.

Groton police are trying to track down the man and woman who brought a young child into a local cellphone store and stole a Samsung Galaxy III worth $650.

Police said the robbery happened Monday afternoon at the Wireless Zone phone store, part of the Groton Square Shopping Center on Route 12.

A white woman, Latino man and young child walked into the store around 4:15 p.m., according to police.

Surveillance footage shows the woman walking over to a phone display while the man looks around at store employees. She takes the phone and the man steps in front of her, blocking the view of other customers.

Cameras show the woman walking quickly toward the door. The man engages one of the employees in an apparent attempt to distract him.

Investigators have learned that a similar incident happened in a New London store, involving what appear to be the same three people, according to police.

Police are asking for help in identifying the suspects.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Groton Police Department at 860-441-6712.

Trinity College administrators and school safety officers are taking measures to increase security after thieves attacked and robbed three students over the weekend, stealing their cellphones.

Two of the robberies happened Saturday night on Vernon Street. Another attempted robbery happened 24 hours later on Summit Street near Mather Hall.

All three incidents took place on school grounds.

Among other changes, Hartford police, campus safety and the school’s private security firm are increasing patrols on and around campus in an effort to keep students safe.

The college is also upgrading security cameras and adding more blue-light alert phones. School officials emailed students reminding them to be alert while walking on campus, especially at night, and to keep their cellphones safely tucked away.

“I definitely think you should try to have things not visible,” said college sophomore Kathryn Orticerio.

School officials declined to comment on the security upgrades.

Hartford police said incidents like these happen all over the country, especially when new products are released, such as the iPhone 5S and 5C.

Police said they’ve arrested a juvenile suspect and expect to make additional arrests.

Another student was robbed of cash and his cellphone in a separate, off-campus incident last week.

Moe’s Southwest Grill is coming to Branford.

This franchise will open its doors Oct. 3 at 1060 West Main Street in the Branhaven Plaza.

To kick off its grand opening, Moe’s is giving away four tickets to the UConn vs. South Florida football game on Oct. 12, along with VIP parking, to the restaurant's 300th customer.

The UConn mascot, Jonathan the Husky, will hand off the tickets.

Moe’s is a Mexican-style restaurant that makes every meal to order with free chips and salsa. Signature menu items include the Homewrecker burrito, Close Talker salad, and John Coctostan quesadilla.

Moe’s is the official burrito of UConn athletics.

The Branford restaurant will be offering weekly promotions, such as the “Moe Monday,” which includes any burrito, chips and a drink for $6.99.

On Tuesdays, kids can eat free with the purchase of any adult entree from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Other Moe's restaurants are located in Bristol, Enfield, Hartford and 12 other places around the state.