Johnston Police Log, June 9, 2022

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following police log information has been taken from public record police incident and arrest reports provided by the Johnston Police Department.

HABITUAL SHOPLIFTING

At 1:03 p.m., May 14, Johnston Police responded to a store in town to investigate a report of shoplifting in progress.

“Note: The criminal incident was being actively conveyed to our Communications Personnel via landline by the witness/business loss prevention officer … relaying it to responding officers,” Johnston Police Officer Adam M. Parkinson wrote in the arrest report.

Johnston Police redacted the name of the business from the report.

Around 11:55 a.m., that morning, a “familiar male party/suspect” entered the business through the main/middle entrance. A store loss prevention employee recognized the man from a past incident and “discretely followed” him “to the hardware department, where she watched him forcibly remove a Milwaukee Impact Drill (valued at $299) from a secured case,” Parkinson wrote. “He then removed the drill from the merchandise box and stuffed it into his pants to conceal (it).”

The witness followed him past all points of purchase, but he made no effort to pay for the “drill in his pants,” Parkinson wrote.

Loss prevention employees confronted the man outside the store as police converged on the suspect.

“He was taken into custody without incident and the drill was recovered,” Parkinson wrote.

The man has been identified as Jonathan M. O’Connell, of 32 Saint Mary St., West Warwick.

The business told police that they wanted to pursue criminal charges and requested that a trespass complaint be filed against O’Connell.

“I advised Jonathan that he was no longer welcome on the premises and failure to comply with the order would result in his arrest,” Parkinson wrote.

He was transported to Johnston Police Headquarters, processed, advised of his Constitutional Rights, and secured in a sell.

“Due to (O’Connell’s) extensive larceny and shoplifting convictions on his BCI record, he will be charged as a Shoplifting (Felony) and Habitual Offender,” Parkinson wrote in the report.

 O’Connell was arraigned later that day and given a Sixth District Court trial date.

“O’Connell was a probation violator and was remanded to the ACI,” according to Johnston Police Detective Michael G. Edwards.

FELONY SHOPLIFTING

At 1:57 p.m., May 19, Johnston Police Officer Richard J. Varan was conducting a business check in the front parking lot of a store in town, when he was approached by a witness who said she saw a man enter the store and proceed to the plumbing department, where he allegedly selected a Rheem 40-gallon hot water tank (valued at $679) and proceeded to the main entry/exit door without paying.

Johnston Police redacted the name of the business from the report.

The woman confronted the man and identified herself as one of the store’s loss prevention officers. She told police that the man cooperated and came back inside the store with her.

The man was identified as Mark Suzzi, of 148 Atwells Ave., Apt. 3, Providence. The business told police that they wanted to pursue criminal charges and requested that a trespass complaint be filed against Suzzi.

Suzzi was placed under arrest for Felony Shoplifting, transported to Johnston Police Headquarters and held pending arraignment. Suzzi “has a BCI consisting of (33) charges,” Varan wrote in the arrest report.

Suzzi was arraigned at 7:30 p.m. later that day, assigned a court date and released on $1,000 personal recognizance.

WARRANT ARREST

At 8:20 a.m., May 20, Johnston Police Officer Thomas Santurri was dispatched to the area of 6 Mulberry Circle to investigate a report of a “suspicious female in the area.”

“It should be noted that Communication Personnel advised that they had received multiple calls on this female, and that she was seen sleeping in someone’s front yard as well as going through trash cans in the area.”

Santurri located a woman matching the description and spoke to her. She was identified as Erica L. Mello, of 11 Mulberry Circle, Johnston. After a RILETS check, Santurri discovered Mello had several outstanding warrants.

The warrants included an East Providence Police arrest warrant for Larceny; a Superior Court Bench Warrant for failing to appear at a Cost Review following an initial Providence Police arrest and charge for Possession of Schedule I drugs; and an additional Superior Court Bench Warrant for failing to appear at a Cost Review following an initial Pawtucket Police arrest and charge for Possession of Schedule I.

Mellow as taken into custody, transported back to police headquarters, processed and later turned over to the East Providence Police Department.

BREAKING & ENTERING

At 5:55 a.m., May 24, Johnston Police Officer Derick Ofori was dispatched to a home where a suspect entered an open garage and stole a bicycle. The suspect was described as wearing “dark colored clothing with a blue face mask on.”

“He was last observed in the area of Goldsmith Street on the bike path,” Ofori wrote in the arrest report.

While on a fixed post along Manton Avenue, Ofori “observed a male wearing dark colored hoody with a black beanie hat and orange gloves matching the description exit the bike path area on foot running.”

Ofori detained the suspect, and identified the man as Anthony Lopez, 38 Veazie St., Providence.

Lopez told police that he “was attempting to go home after going for a walk on the bike path.”

Another officer arrived on the scene with the victim, who positively identified Lopez as the suspect he allegedly “observed leaving his house with his bicycle.”

After searching the suspect, police found a blue face mask, like the one the suspect had been described wearing.

“It should be noted while Mr. Lopez was being transported in my cruiser he stated, ‘My bad man I saw the garage door open and saw the bicycle, I just wanted to get home faster.’”

Lopez was transported to Johnston Police Headquarters where he was charged with Breaking & Entering Dwelling House W/O Consent.

FELONY SHOPLIFTING

A loss prevention manager from a store in town arrived at Johnston Police Headquarters on Dec. 20 to report three separate shoplifting complaints from Dec. 6, Dec. 9 and Dec. 11. The store loss prevention employee told police that on Dec. 15 the same suspect suspected in the three earlier incidents was arrested in a Providence store and charged by Providence Police.

Johnston Police redacted the name of both businesses from the report.

The store representative told police that the suspect, identified as Deangelo J. Vaughan, 17 Sanford Ave., Apt. 20, Pawtucket, entered the store three times in early December, and allegedly shoplifted several items.

At 8:55 p.m., Dec. 6, Vaughan allegedly took a 40-gallon gas water heater from the plumbing department (valued at $1,199) and then walked past all points of purchase without paying, according to the store loss prevention manager.

At 1:38 p.m., Dec. 9, Vaughan allegedly loaded a Generac generator (valued at $559) and then walked past all points of purchase without paying, according to the store loss prevention manager.

And then at 4:44 p.m., Dec. 11, he allegedly loaded three Generac generators (valued at $559 each) and then walked past all points of purchase without paying, according to the store loss prevention manager.

The store provided video surveillance of all three incidents. Vaughan was identified via surveillance images. Johnston Police prepared an affidavit and arrest warrant for Vaughn charging him with one count of Felony Shoplifting and two counts of Misdemeanor Shoplifting.

On May 24, Vaughan was arraigned on the shoplifting charges, and presented as a bail violator. A violation hearing was set for June 2. He was not processed immediately because he was already incarcerated at the ACI.

SHOPLIFTING

While patrolling a local store parking lot, Johnston Police Detective Thomas M. Dwyer “observed a short male who was wearing a blue jeans and a red hat running from the store pushing a shopping carriage full of electrical wire.

The man stopped at the drivers of a white Mitsubishi SUV parked in the parking lot, unloaded the full carriage into the vehicle and got into the rear drivers side.

The SUV started toward the exit, and Dwyer activated the emergency lights on his assigned undercover police car, stopping the vehicle before it left the lot.

The vehicle driver told police that they had no idea the man who was in the rear of the vehicle had intentions of shoplifting, according to the arrest report.

The man in the back was identified as Jose Benito Malave, of 1 Valley St., Apt. 1206, Providence. He was arrested on the scene and charged with Shoplifting. The merchandise consisted of 16 rolls of electrical wire valued at $2,618.88.

The business told police that they wanted to pursue criminal charges and requested that a trespass complaint be filed against Malave. Police said Malave had one previous charge on his Florida BCI for larceny. He was processed and released with a Third District Court summons to appear on June 27.