2 face shoplifting charges as police continue probe

Two women have been arrested in connection with a string of shoplifting incidents at Burlington Coat Factory, and police continue to pursue suspects in other cases of theft at the store.

Arlene Delazerda, 31, of 560 Prospect St., Apt. 241 in Pawtucket, is charged with misdemeanor counts of shoplifting and conspiracy, while Alicia Pina, 29, of 174 Salina St. in Providence, is charged with a felony count of shoplifting along with misdemeanor counts of shoplifting as a habitual offender and conspiracy.

The arrests were made by Johnston Detectives Thomas Dwyer and Anthony Sasso on Sept. 23 as part of an ongoing investigation into shoplifting incidents at the 1386 Atwood Ave. store. The investigation began when loss prevention officers with the company contacted police following a Sept. 2 incident in which three women took more than $1,000 worth of merchandise from the store.

According to their narrative reports, the detectives arrived at Burlington Coat Factory on Sept. 23 and were informed by loss prevention officers that two women were in the store and being monitored. The officers indicated the women were suspects in other shoplifting incidents at the company’s Johnston and East Providence locations.

Sasso then left the store and took a post in an unmarked vehicle, while Dwyer monitored video surveillance with the loss prevention officers. Dwyer reports one woman was pushing a shopping cart and placing numerous assorted articles of clothing into a white laundry bag, while the second woman is said to have removed several plastic Burlington Coat Factory bags from her shirt and loaded them with clothing from the store’s racks. The second woman also reportedly had a pair of bedspread comforters in her carriage.

According to Dwyer’s report, the two suspects were “always in close proximity to each other [a few aisles away] utilizing their cellular telephones and covering each other as lookouts. On several occasions they walked [past] each other while communicating.”

Dwyer reports that one of the women, subsequently identified as Delazerda, then left the store with the merchandise and without making an attempt to pay. He radioed Sasso, who took the woman into custody in the parking lot.

Dwyer reports he then observed the second suspect push her shopping cart to the front of the store, “physically unplug the loss prevention camera system,” remove the items from the cart and walk past the point of purchase. Dwyer reports he then exited the store and placed the second suspect under arrest.

Dwyer’s report indicates the amount of merchandise removed from the store by the two suspects totaled nearly $1,100.

Johnston Police Major Frank Levesque praised Dwyer and Sasso for their work on the case.

“The two detectives took it upon themselves to be proactive,” he said, and “worked in concert” with loss prevention officers.

The detectives also continue to pursue the three female suspects in the Sept. 2 incident and believe there may be a connection to a larger, organized shoplifting operation.

“We’re looking to make more arrests,” Levesque said, describing the suspects as “seasoned” based on the level of sophistication observed by detectives.

Anyone with information regarding the identity or location of the three suspects is asked to contact Johnston police at 231-4210.