Police: Man stole copper downspouts from Town Hall

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A man accused of stealing copper downspouts from Town Hall earlier this month and selling the metal at a Providence scrap yard has been charged.

Joseph A. LaSalle, 39, of 32 Williams St. in Pawtucket, was arrested June 9 and charged with one count of felony assault.

He was arraigned in Third District Court the same day and remanded to the Adult Correctional Institutions in connection with previous charges, with a next scheduled court appearance on June 23.

According to a statement from Johnston Maj. Frank Levesque, Patrolman Edward Gonzalez on June 6 took a report of four “ornate copper downspouts” having been stolen from the rear of Town Hall over the preceding weekend. The value of replacing the downspouts was estimated at $1,700.

Levesque said Detective Thomas Dwyer, through an investigation, identified LaSalle as having sold copper downspouts to the Providence scrap yard for $424 on June 6. The downspouts were then confirmed to be those taken from Town Hall.

Dwyer and Detective Mark Bairos located LaSalle in his Pawtucket apartment on June 9, and he was taken to police headquarters for questioning. According to Levesque’s statement, LaSalle confessed to the theft and attributed his actions to substance addiction.

Levesque applauded “another fantastic arrest by Detective Dwyer and Detective Barros.” He said Dwyer has a “tremendous rapport with the area scrap yards,” which provides highly valuable in such cases.

Levesque said police are investigating whether LaSalle may have been responsible for a similar theft at Our Lady of Grace Church. He said the Johnston department has also shared information with other jurisdictions in the event LaSalle may be a suspect in any thefts in those communities.

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