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03/11/2019 08:29 AMA man reported missing in a large wooded area of Branford since Friday, March 1 was located by police in that area and subsequently arrested on Sunday, March 10 on outstanding misdemeanor and felony warrants.
Kyle John Northam, 36, was located in the woods off Tilcon Road in the Pine Orchard area during a second K-9 police search in the overnight hours between Saturday, March 9 and Sunday March 10, Branford Police Captain John Alves told Zip06/The Sound, during an exclusive interview on the morning of March 11.
Tilcon Road leads to a trailhead and open space connecting areas of Pine Orchard and Stony Creek in Branford.
Northam, a Branford resident, was homeless at the time of his arrest, said Alves. He was likely staying in the woods at least some of the time while police were actively seeking him. Prior to notifying the public to Northam's status as a missing person on March 1, police had been aware that Northam had been living out of his vehicle. After his empty car was found parked on Tilcon Road on March 1, police conducted a large-scale afternoon search of the area with State Police K-9 and helicopter assistance,but did not find Northam at that time.
On Saturday, March 9, Branford Police Officer John Abley was on routine patrol in the Pine Orchard area at approximately 8:30 p.m. when he located a vehicle parked on Tilcon Road which had been reported stolen from nearby Totoket Road.
"Knowing that Kyle John Northam had been staying in (the) area, a search was conducted again," said Alves. "There was an assumption he would be responsible for [the stolen vehicle] and he would be back in the woods."
The search, which took place during the overnight hours of March 9 and March 10 with assistance from an East Haven Police K-9 unit, located Northam in a wooded area near Tilcon Road. Northam was taken into custody and held on combined bonds totaling $38,000 pending an appearance on March 11 in New Haven Superior Court, said Alves.
The warrants include several for failure to appear in court and other misdemeanors. Zip06/The Sound asked Alves whether the public, which had been asked to assist in finding Northam, should have been advised that there were outstanding warrants for his arrest.
"We didn't feel that he was a danger to the public," said Alves. "However, our main concern was his well-being; knowing he was homeless and he had been staying in his vehicle, and we had towed his vehicle out of the Tilcon property."
Alves credited Officer Abley for his police work and also thanked EHPD for its assistance with the K-9 search on March 10.
In addition to being arrested on prior warrants, Branford police also charged Northam with theft of a vehicle; following an investigation involving the stolen vehicle, a pick-up truck, located by Abley.