Police Log

HELLO JUDGE

A 19-year-old Smithfield man was charged with shoplifting from the Walgreens on Putnam Avenue on Feb. 10. Patrolman Jared DeAngelis reported that loss prevention at the store told him they saw a man come into the store and walk around and then leave without buying anything. They said he came in again and tried to return an odd variety of HP ink cartridges, odd enough to prompt loss prevention to call police and review the surveillance video. He said the video had him taking the $128.37 worth of cartridges off the shelf before walking out of the store. DeAngelis said the suspect initially claimed the cartridges were a gift, and then said he bought them at another store but the video contradicted all of it. He was arrested and taken to headquarters. Detective Robert Lemieux said the suspect had other items on him when he was arrested for which he had no adequate explanation, and varying stories about where they were from. Lemieux said he went to the Target store on Putnam Avenue and saw that they sold all of the items they found on the suspect, which were a set of Sony noise-canceling headphones worth $100; an Otter Box phone case priced at $20; and a Hello Kitty iPhone screen projector that cost $10. Lemieux said the suspect continued to claim that the items were gifts but did admit he had a $45- to $50-per-day heroin habit and that he was unemployed. Ryan Romano, 18, of 41 Lincoln St. was charged with shoplifting and held for arraignment.

SLOW MOTION

Sgt. Troy Maddocks reported pulling a car over on Anglewood Avenue around 9:45 p.m. Feb. 12 for traveling too slow and crossing lanes. Maddocks said the man told him he was driving slow to avoid potholes in the road. He said he appeared to have been drinking and had a slight odor of alcohol on him, but he passed a field sobriety test. While the man was doing the one-leg stand test, however, Maddocks said he saw a metal clip and the butt end of a knife in his boot. Edward J. Murphy, 63, of 76 Victoria St. in Johnston, was charged with carrying a knife with a seven-inch blade, which is illegal. He was charged with a weapon other than a firearm charge and later released with a summons.

NO STICKER

Patrolman Richard Varan reported he stopped a car on Plainfield Street on Feb. 13 because there was no inspection sticker on the windshield. He said he learned the operator didn’t have a driver’s license and was operating an unregistered car. He said the car he was driving also was unregistered, and Santos L. Quinones, 32, of 10 Owen St. in Providence, was arrested and later released with a summons. The plates were confiscated and the car was towed.

SUSPICIOUS

Patrolman Joseph McGinn reported he was patrolling Hartford Avenue when he noticed a car parked directly in front of a Cumberland Farms store that was closed for renovations. He said the car was parked so that it pushed against the gate and created a gap that could be passed through. He said he waited to see if someone came out of the store, and when someone did, he followed the car and pulled it over near 2500 Hartford Ave. He said there was a brand new flashlight and several tools on the seat beside the driver. The driver explained that he worked for the company that was redoing the store and it was his job to go by there every Sunday to make sure the heat was on and working. He said a call to a foreman confirmed the story, but a check revealed the driver had a suspended license and an outstanding warrant for failure to appear to settle unpaid fines. Joseph J. Lyon, 40, of 17 Golden View Drive in Johnston, was arraigned before a justice of the peace and released on $1,000 personal recognizance after he paid his warrant costs in full.