West Haven Man Charged After Stolen Gun Recovered: Police

WEST HAVEN, CT — A West Haven man was arrested after Naugatuck police said a report of attempted car break-ins led officers to a stolen handgun fitted with an illegal automatic-fire conversion device.

Police said they were called to Simsberry Road in Naugatuck on Aug. 12 after a homeowner reported seeing three men trying to break into her car.

Officers later located a vehicle in the area and found a backpack containing the stolen handgun, according to the Naugatuck Police Department. Police said the firearm had its serial number removed and was equipped with a device commonly called a “Glock switch,” as well as an extended magazine.

A Glock switch is a device that can be attached to certain handguns to allow automatic firing, police said. Investigators also found evidence connected to additional car break-ins inside the vehicle.

Cristofer Quelix-Perez, 19, of West Haven, was charged with illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal alteration of a firearm, sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny.

Police said Quelix-Perez was held on $20,000 cash/surety bond and was scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 13 in Waterbury Superior Court.

Two juvenile males, ages 16 and 17, both from the New Haven area, were also arrested in connection with the incident. Their names and specific charges were not released. Both were taken to Bridgeport Juvenile Detention, police said.

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