Police in Groton arrested a Norwich man Saturday who was wanted in connection with two different car thefts, including one from a Groton gas station just hours after he allegedly stole one from Norwich.

Norwich police first alerted neighboring departments of a vehicle stolen out of Norwich at 11:22 a.m. It took just six minutes for Groton Town police to find the vehicle in the parking lot of the Super 8 Motel in Groton.

At about the same time the stolen vehicle was found, Groton Town police fielded a 911 call about a vehicle stolen from a gas station located less than a quarter mile away from the motel.

Groton officers did not immediately find the second stolen vehicle but issued their own alerts to area departments, according to Groton Town Police Lt. James Bee.

The second vehicle was spotted by Stonington police at 12:17 p.m. and the officer who found the vehicle chased a suspect on foot in the area of Gold Star Highway and Shewville Road. Officers from Stonington, Groton Town, Ledyard and Groton City gathered to assist in the search.

After setting up a perimeter, it was a Groton Town police K-9 team that found the suspect hiding in a shed on North Stonington Road in the area of Old Mystic Fire Station, Bee said.

Jessie Faulkner, 35, of Norwich was taken into custody without further incident. He is charged in the Groton incident with third-degree larceny, interfering with an officer and driving with a suspended license. More charges related to the Norwich theft are expected. Court records show Faulkner has a string of larceny and burglary convictions over the past several years.

Groton Town Police ask anyone with additional information regarding the incident to call (860) 441-6712.

— Greg Smith