Police Log

Posted

The Police Log is a digest of reports filed by the Johnston Police Department.

STOLEN CAR

Patrolman John DeAngelis responded to 167 Putnam Ave. to the Hertz car rental office at 11 a.m. on Jan. 28 for a recovered stolen motor vehicle.

Upon arrival, DeAngelis said he spoke with a Hertz representative, who informed him that on Jan. 24 he observed a vehicle parked in the lot that was not associated with his fleet of rental vehicles. He said the vehicle was a white four-door Toyota Prius with a California license plate. He said after confirming the vehicle was owned and rented by Hertz, he contacted the corporate office to inquire about its rental status and was informed it was initially rented in California on Nov. 19, 2013, but was never returned and was subsequently reported stolen by the Hertz rental office at 1461 North Blackstone Ave. in Fresno, Calif. DeAngelis said he was informed the vehicle was entered as stolen by the Fresno, Police Department on Jan. 13.

When asked why he didn’t inform police sooner about the Toyota, the employee reportedly said the corporate office was unsure how to handle the matter and didn’t advise him until that day. The employee said he found the ignition key inside the unlocked vehicle in addition to a handwritten note left by the renter, which said, “This Prachit Vorabouth I try to return the car a lot of time but then I got no money to return. I just return the car today and just bill me the payment since right now I got no money at all.” DeAngelis said the note was dated Jan. 9, 2014, and the employee told him it was possible the car had been left there since then and went unnoticed. He also verified that a Prachit Vorabouth was the person listed on the Hertz renter’s agreement and provided DeAngelis with a Woonsocket address for Vorabouth, as well as two R.I. area code phone numbers. DeAngelis said Vorabouth was listed as a suspect in the NCIC stolen motor vehicle message.

DeAngelis said he observed minor frontal contact damage, specifically a displaced front bumper, and the employee pointed out that two of the original Prius style rims and tires on the right side were missing and replaced with two unknown rims and tires. The employee said there was no way to tell who dropped off the vehicle at the lot, which is not equipped with video surveillance. DeAngelis said the vehicle was towed from the scene and brought to police headquarters.

He said Vorabouth did not have an R.I. BCI record, and a check through R.I. cross-agency was negative. A national criminal record search proved inconclusive. DeAngelis said he attempted to contact Vorabouth with the two phone numbers the employee provided, but the first went to a generic voicemail and the second was answered by a man who would not identify himself but said he knew Mr. Vorabouth and would tell him to contact DeAngelis.

After returning to headquarters, DeAngelis said he contacted the Hertz corporate security office and spoke with a representative who said Hertz would like to press charges. A locate message was sent to the Fresno Police Department regarding recovery of the vehicle. At this point, the incident was forwarded to detectives for further investigation.

Detective David Slinko Jr. said on Jan. 31, he was able to obtain a copy of the rental agreement, as well as copies of the vehicle’s registration certificate, which were placed in the temporary evidence storage locker. He said numerous attempts were made to contact Vorabouth but were met with negative results, so a warrant for his arrest was issued for possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Slinko said Woonsocket police checked for Vorabouth at 114 Rutland St. on Feb. 7, but the residence was vacant.

On April 10, Patrolmen James Provuncher III and Derrick Palazzo responded to the North Kingstown Police Department in reference to picking up Prachit Vorabouth, 31, of 326 Burnside Ave. in Woonsocket, on the active warrant for possession of a stolen vehicle. Provuncher said Vorabouth was transported to Johnston police headquarters, where he was processed and held pending arraignment. Vorabouth was arraigned on a felony charge of possession of stolen vehicle and released on $10,000 personal recognizance, with a pre-arraignment conference date set for June 13.

SHOPLIFTING

Patrolman Ryan Lemieux reports responding to a report of a shoplifting in progress at the 1993 Plainfield St. CVS location at approximately 1:41 p.m. on April 9.

Upon his arrival, Lemieux reports that two officers had a suspect in custody outside the business. On the man’s person were more than 20 bottles of Head & Shoulders shampoo with a total value of nearly $134, according to the patrolman. The merchandise was returned to CVS.

Staff at the store told Lemieux the man had been spotted appearing to steal merchandise, and that when he was approached a shampoo bottle was visible in his pocket and he left the store without making any attempt to pay. A subsequent review of surveillance video did not show the man putting the merchandise in his pockets, the patrolman reports. A witness statement was filed, and CVS indicated it wished to pursue a criminal complaint.

The man reportedly told police he had ingested “a small amount of cocaine and an unknown amount of heroin,” according to Lemieux. The man was transported to police headquarters, and a subsequent check found he had an active bench warrant for failure to appear.

Lawrence J. Rice, 44, of 255 Prairie Ave. in Providence, was charged with misdemeanor shoplifting.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here