Manchester boy, 15, charged with conspiracy in Tolland incidents

Alex Wood, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·3 min read

Apr. 6—Authorities have publicly identified a 15-year-old boy as a suspect in attempted vehicle thefts that led to a series of violent incidents Feb. 20 in Tolland.

The boy is Desmond Pertillar, who listed an address of 424 N. Main St. in Manchester when he was arrested immediately after the incidents, which included an episode in which an adult suspect has admitted threatening a homeowner with a handgun in Tolland, according to a state trooper's report.

The adult suspect — Malik Price, now 19, of Hartford — also admitted hitting a state trooper's cruiser on Tolland Green with the stolen sport utility vehicle he was driving, according to the report.

Pertillar is facing felony counts of conspiracy to commit home invasion and attempt and conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary, as well as a misdemeanor count of interfering with police. He is free on a $200,000 bond and is next due April 27 in Vernon Superior Court, online court records show.

Despite the home invasion conspiracy charge, the trooper's report makes it clear that Pertillar isn't suspected of playing a physical role in the incident at issue in that charge.

JUVENILE IDENTIFIED

SUSPECT: Desmond Pertillar, 15, who has listed an address of 424 N. Main St. in Manchester

CHARGES: Conspiracy to commit home invasion, attempt and conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary, interfering with police

STATUS: Free on a $200,000 bond; due April 27 in Vernon Superior Court

Jashawn Atkinson, 18, and Omar Cancel, 17, both of Hartford, are accused of going into an open garage on Williams Way in Tolland in an attempt to steal two motorcycles. The homeowner scared them away and tackled Atkinson to the ground, according to a state trooper's report on the incidents.

At that point, authorities allege, Price got out of the stolen SUV, pointed a gun at the homeowner's head, and threatened to shoot him, enabling Atkinson and Cancel to get back into the SUV.

Pertillar's lawyer, Jerome Paun, expressed hope that Pertillar's case will be transferred back to juvenile court, where it started, because of his age and questions about the home invasion conspiracy charge. Connecticut's home invasion statute deals with crimes committed in "a dwelling," and Paun questioned whether a garage is a dwelling.

The attempt to steal the motorcycles was the second theft attempt the group made in Tolland that afternoon, authorities charge.

In the first, Pertillar and a person who hasn't been publicly identified are accused of going into the driveway of a Kozley Road home, where surveillance video shows them trying to open the doors of vehicles, according to the state police report. When they saw a woman sitting in one of the vehicles, they ran back to the stolen SUV, state police say.

That incident appears to be the basis for the charges that Pertillar attempted and conspired to commit a third-degree burglary. The defense lawyer said the case would be in juvenile court if Pertillar was facing only those charges.

After the stolen SUV crashed into the state police cruiser on Tolland Green, all five suspects fled. A dog handler who happened to be one of the first troopers on the scene apprehended two of them, Price and Cancel, state police say.

A civilian called troopers' attention to a shed where the other three suspects — Pertillar, Atkinson, and the unidentified suspect — were hiding, according to the state police report. On orders from a trooper, the three came out and surrendered to police.

Atkinson is being held on a $350,000 bond and Price on a $500,000 bond, both at the Manson Youth Institution in Cheshire, and both are due May 24 in Vernon Superior Court, according to online records. Cancel is free on a $50,000 bond and is due June 2 in Vernon court, the records show.

For updates on Glastonbury, and recent crime and courts coverage in North-Central Connecticut, follow Alex Wood on Twitter: @AlexWoodJI1, Facebook: Alex Wood, and Instagram: @AlexWoodJI.

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