Johnston Police Log, June 4, 2021

Posted

DRAG RACING

Around 10:59 p.m., April 25, Johnston Police Officer Michael Schiappa arrived on the scene of a motor vehicle stop in Providence, on Farmington Avenue, near the Johnston border. Johnston Police were dispatched to assist in the vehicle stop.

At the scene Patrolwoman Kayleigh Cooper had issued driver Angel L. Baez Jr., of 50 Prairie Ave., Apt. 516, Providence, a summons for a traffic infraction.

After the vehicle stop was completed and Schiappa was walking back to his marked police cruiser, he allegedly heard Baez rev his car’s motor, spin the tires and aggressively pull back onto the roadway, traveling eastbound on Farmington Avenue at a high rate of speed and in a reckless manner.

Schiappa got back into his cruiser, turned on the cruiser’s overhead lights and sirens, and attempted to follow Baez in the speeding vehicle. Cooper also followed in her cruiser.

Schiappa attempted a second motor vehicle stop, but as Baez allegedly continued driving at a high rate of speed, he maintained a lead, almost losing the two pursuing officers.

Police said Baez turned left onto Dyer Avenue from Farmington Avenue without stopping at a stop sign. Baez continued northbound on Dyer Avenue and drove around one vehicle on the left side of the roadway, traveling into oncoming traffic, Schiappa wrote in the police report.

Baez then turned right onto Union Avenue without stopping at a red light, police said.

At this time, Schiappa caught up to Baez and detained his vehicle at the intersection of Union Avenue and Laurel Hill Avenue in Providence.

Schiappa notified emergency dispatch personnel that he and Cooper had successfully stopped the car a second time.

Cooper and Schiappa approached the car and removed Baez from the vehicle without incident. Schiappa placed him under arrest for Reckless Driving, and applied handcuffs, double locked and checked for proper fit.

The vehicle was towed from the scene.

Baez was transported to Johnston Police Headquarters, processed and released with a District Court Summons to appear on July 26. Baez was also mailed summons for three other traffic infractions: Care in starting from a stop, Obedience to devices and Overtaking on left.

CONSPIRACY

On April 26, Johnston Police Detective Thomas Dwyer responded to Home Depot, 100 Stone Hill Drive, to meet with a loss prevention manager regarding fraud and shoplifting complaints.

The loss prevention manager provided written statements detailing an incident that occurred on April 10 around 12:20 p.m.

The statements alleged that two men entered Home Depot without any items and walked directly to the lumber department. Moments later, both men were recorded on video surveillance pushing a shopping carriage with two ½ Big Combo sump pumps in the carriage. The men allegedly took the items to the service desk, police wrote in their report.

A store clerk working at the service desk completed the transactions, refunding both customers for the pumps they claimed to have purchased.

Police said Moises Peguero and Julian Balbi both received $415 store credit refunds after they supplied Rhode Island IDs.

The clerk told police she recognized Balbi, who was given $415 store credit for the item he had claimed to purchase.

The clerk told police that Balbi “is always in the Home Depot returning merchandise and that is how she is familiar with him,” according to the police report.

Police showed the clerk a photo of Balbi, and she immediately identified him as a repeat customer.

Police also discovered the Home Depot Providence branch previously employed Balbi and many co-workers identified him in the surveillance video footage.

After completing the returns, Peguero was also observed on video, around 12:37 p.m., pushing a carriage with a Ryobi surf cleaner valued at $69.97, and a Ryobi power washer valued at $299, with Balbi by his side.

Video surveillance captured Balbi exit the store with the shopping cart containing the two items, without making any effort to pay for them, police said.

In the parking lot, Balbi pushed the carriage to a white box truck parked in the rear of the lot. Three minutes later, police said, Peguero exited store while on his cell phone, walked to the truck, and met with Balbi who had already loaded the items into the truck.

The two men fled the scene in the truck, with the allegedly stolen items.

Police tracked the box truck to a local business. The business owner confirmed he owned the truck, but that it was at Northeast Auto Body having work done.

The business owner told police that Balbi was employed by his company, and Peguero had previously worked for him about a year ago. The business owner told police that he did not authorize Balbi to use the company box truck on his day off (April 10).

Police found the truck in the Northeast Auto Body parking lot, at 775 Hartford Ave.

Police called Balbi and asked him to come to police headquarters for questioning. Balbi agreed, and responded to headquarters on April 27. He was escorted into the Detective Division and advised of his Constitutional rights. Police conducted an interview in a room enabled with audio and video recording.

Police said Balbi confessed to fraudulently returning the sump pumps and shoplifting, according to the police report. He also admitted to operating his employer’s box truck.

Police showed Balbi photographs from the incident, and he confirmed the images showed himself and Peguero.

A National Crime Information Center (NCIC) check on Balbi turned up previous Federal/US Secret Service Providence agency charges for Fraud-aggravated identity theft, fraud-theft of government property and fraud-conspiracy, from 2014.

Police charged Balbi with obtaining money-false pretense/personation under $1,500, shoplifting-misdemeanor, larceny under $1,500 and conspiracy.

Balbi was processed and released with a 3rd District Court summons and a date set to appear on July 26. Balbi was also advised that Home Depot had issued a no-trespass order against him.

Police tried to locate Peguero, but were unsuccessful. They issued an arrest warrant.

Peguero turned himself in at Johnston Police Headquarters on April 28. He was escorted to the Detective Division, notified of his rights, and interviewed. Police said he also confessed to the crime.

Peguero was also charged, processed and released with a district court summons. He also received a no-trespass order from Home Depot.

POSSIBLE B&E

On May 11, at about 7:45 a.m., Johnston Police officers were dispatched to a home for a report of a possible breaking and entering on the premises.

On the scene, an officer observed a female, later identified as Lily Arredondo, standing at the rear of the home.

Police gave her verbal commands to turn around and put her hands behind her back. She complied and was placed in handcuffs.

Arredondo told police she was with her boyfriend who took off running when police arrived. She was standing near a broken window, with broken pieces of glass on the ground, police said.

At the same time, a second person, later identified as Bryan Boche, ran through the backyard toward Railroad Avenue, according to police reports.

Police watched Boche cross George Waterman Road, where they took him into custody.

Police concluded that Arredondo was the lookout for Boche, who was allegedly attempting to break the rear window of the home, which was unoccupied and for sale.

Police found a double-paned basement window broken at the rear of the home.

Both Boche and Arredondo were taken into custody and transported to police headquarters.

Arredondo, of 3124 Pawtucket Ave., East Providence, was charged with disorderly conduct and released with a District Court summons to appear in court on Aug. 2.

Boche, of 93 Boutwell St., Apt. 1, Pawtucket, was charged with vandalism/malicious injury to property, and held pending an interview with detectives.

Boche was arraigned on the vandalism charge, and bail was set at $1,000. He was then presented as a 46G bail violator on two open Pawtucket Police cases, and held without bail until a status conference on those cases on May 18.

VEHICLE FRAUD

On April 16, at 4 p.m., police responded to a rental agency in town for the report of a stolen rental vehicle.

Johnston Police Officer Kevin W. Lyons spoke to an employee at the agency, who told him that on April 8, a customer rented a vehicle but had not returned or paid for the rental.

Payment was due on April 15, and the agency had made several attempts to contact the renter.

The agency told police that they wanted to pursue criminal charges. The report was forwarded to the Johnston Police Detective Bureau for investigation.

The agency provided the name of the renter, and police made several attempts to contact her to locate the vehicle. They traveled to her Woonsocket address, but were unsuccessful.

On April 19, police spoke to management at the rental company, and discovered the vehicle had still not been located.

The next day, police issued an affidavit and arrest warrant for the suspect, Kaitlin A. Kuneluis, 163 Greene St., R-Side, Woonsocket. The vehicle plates were reported as stolen.

On May 4, Woonsocket Police contacted Johnston Police to inform them they had located the vehicle and taken Kuneluis into custody.

Johnston Police traveled to Woonsocket Police Headquarters, took custody of Kuneluis, and transported her to Johnston Police Headquarters.

The vehicle, a 2021 Jeep Cherokee, was towed.

Kuneluis was charged with obtaining vehicles with intent to defraud, processed and fingerprinted. She was released with a District Court summons to appear on July 26.

ASSAULT

On May 10, at 8:17 a.m., Johnston Police responded to a Hopkins Avenue address to investigate a report of disorderly conduct.

On the scene, police spoke to the man who called police, Joseph Maggiacomo, who said that prior to the arrival of police, he and another man, later identified as Marvin Gamez Carrascoza, argued and fought.

Maggiacomo told police that Carrascoza picked up a garden hoe and struck him in the back twice.

Maggiacomo told police that he punched Carrascoza in the face in self-defense.

Police noted a red mark on Maggiacomo's back, consistent with the wooden handle of the garden hoe. Maggiacomo told police that he wanted to pursue a criminal complaint. He completed a hand-written statement.

Next, police spoke to Carrascoza, who presented a Guatemalan identification card. He told police that Maggiacomo was upset with him because he missed a week of work. He said that Maggiacomo called him "an illegal" and at that time he became upset.

Carrascoza told police he confronted Maggiacomo, who responded by punching him in the face.

Police noted dried blood under Carrascoza's nose. Carrascoza told police that when he was puched, he had been holding a garden hoe, and that Maggiacomo had tried pulling it away from him after striking him in the face.

Carrascoza told police that Maggiacomo was kicking him at this time, and that they wrestled to the ground.

Carrascoza told police that he struck Maggiacomo in the back with the garden hoe in self-defense.

Carrascoza said he was in fear that Maggiacomo would keep assaulting him, police wrote in their report. Carrascoza completed a handwritten witness statement and said that he wished to pursue criminal charges against Maggiacomo.

A witness on the scene told police that he observed Maggiacomo giving Carrascoza a hard time about not coming into work. When the witnessed turned around, he observed the two men fighting. He told police he saw Carrascoza trying to defend himself with the garden hoe. The witness filled out a statement.

Later, police reviewed video surveillance, which showed Carrascoza working, while Maggiacomo walked around him and made an unknown comment.

Police said Carrascoza immediately became visibly upset and confronted Maggiacomo.

Carrascoza was using the garden hoe to clean a front-loading tractor, police said.

Police said that Maggiacomo pushed Carrascoza, who struck the ground while holding the garden hoe.

Police watched on video as Maggiacomo once again confronted Carrascoza, and struck him in the face with a closed fist and pulled the garden hoe away from him, according to the police report.

Police said the two men wrestled for the garden hoe and both men kicked each other multiple times. Maggiacomo fell to the ground, and at that time Carrascoza raised the garden hoe over his head and struck Maggiacomo in the back twice, according to the police report.

Carrascoza immediately began to retreat, while still holding the garden hoe, police said. Other employees then arrived on scene and kept both parties separated until police arrived.

Based on the investigation and video surveillance footage, Johnston police charged Carrascoza, of 104 Canton St., Providence, with Felony Assault and Disorderly Conduct.

Maggiacomo, of 99 Tallman Ave., Cranston, was charged with Simple Assault and Disorderly Conduct.

Since Maggiacomo complained with back pain, he was not taken into custody, but released on the scene with a 3rd District Court Summons, requiring him to appear in court on Aug. 2. Johnston Rescue personnel transported him to the hospital.

Photographs of their injuries were taken and added to the police report.

Carrascoza was taken into custody, handcuffed and transported to police headquarters. He was processed and photographed, and transported to court for arraignment.

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