Sketch of suspect leads to burglary arrest in Stonington

Stonington – Thanks to a computer program and a police sketch artist, police have charged a Pawcatuck man with breaking into a Lester Avenue home in the early morning hours of Nov. 1 and then leaving when confronted by the homeowner.

Timothy Holdgate, 39, of 7 Cedar St., was charged Thursday with first-degree burglary, sixth-degree larceny and possession of burglary tools when he appeared in New London Superior Court after being arrested Wednesday by Groton Town Police on larceny charges.

Police said that on at 1:30 a.m. during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Holdgate entered the home and went to the second floor where he was confronted by the man who lived there outside his bedroom. The man's wife called police while Holdgate retreated down the stairs and out the door followed by the man. There was no physical confrontation between the two.

Police entered a description of the man into a computer program which provided possible subjects. Officer Thomas Wholean, who is trained as a sketch artist, then created a composite sketch of the man based on the homeowner's description.

When the sketch was done, police quickly matched it to the photo of one of the subjects from the computer program.

They then applied for a warrant which was at the court waiting to be signed when Holdgate appeared Thursday on the Groton charges. He is now being held at the Corrigan Radgowski Correctional Center on a $55,000 bond.

Holdgate has a lengthy criminal record with convictions for driving under the influence and violation of probation, three for driving with a suspended license, six for failure to appear in court and three for sixth-degree larceny, according to the state judicial department database.