Police Log

The Police Log is a digest of reports provided by the Johnston and Rhode Island State Police Departments.

BREAKING AND ENTERING

Officers James Provuncher and Kevin Brady responded to a Johnston residence on April 18 at approximately 4:49 p.m. in reference to a breaking and entering report in progress. The resident’s address has been redacted for safety concerns.

While en route to the scene, dispatch informed the officer that the calling party had a female suspect detained in the house. At the scene, Officer Provuncher spoke with the calling party while Officer Brady quickly took the detained female suspect outside. She was later identified as Britni Raithel, 22, of 55 Hillside Drive in Burrillville.

While speaking with the resident, he said that after coming home around 4:45 p.m., he went upstairs to his bedroom and saw that it had been rummaged through. He then spoke with his grandfather, who had just finished taking a shower upstairs and asked him about the scene. The grandfather then said he thought they had been robbed. The man then went back downstairs to call the police, and while on the phone with 911 he observed Raithel hiding between two couches in the living room. She then got up and ran towards the front door. The man grabbed Raithel and held her until police arrived.

The residents indicated that the suspect(s) took several Superman comic books valued at around $300, along with an unknown amount of coins from a change jar. Officers also observed a broken basement window.

Raithel told officers that her boyfriend had called her to meet him at this address, telling her it belonged to his sister. She stated when she arrived, he let her in through the front door of the residence and they began looking around. She then became uncooperative, and was placed under arrest, transported to police headquarters where she was charged with felony breaking and entering into a dwelling of a person over 60 years of age. Officers, along with a K-9 unit from Cranston, searched the area extensively but no male suspect was found.

POSSESSION

On April 17 around noon, Patrolmen Derrick Palazzo and Derek Parascandolo responded to the area of Morgan Avenue at Plainfield Street in reference to a motor vehicle accident with minor injuries.

Due to the collision, one of the cars, a gray Nissan Altima, was disabled and needed to be towed from the scene. Prior to towing the car, and inventory search was conducted which revealed a mason jar containing a green plantlike substance, which later tested positive for marijuana. A white pill was also found on the front passenger seat.

A wallet was also found in the car, which contained three more white pills that were later identified as clonazepam. The driver of the car, Daniel Kelley, 32, of 8 Mayfield Road in Barrington, was then taken into custody for possession of a schedule I-V drugs. Kelley was issued a citation for possession of less than one ounce of marijuana. He was arraigned before Justice of the Peace Dan Connors and released on $5,000 personal recognizance with a June 19 Sixth District court date.

SHOPLIFTING

Patrolman Richard Varan responded to the Commerce Way Super Stop and Shop on April 15 in regards to a shoplifting report. At the scene, he spoke with the store’s asset protection officer, who advised that he was in a foot pursuit with a male and female suspect who reportedly had just shoplifted from the store.

The security officer advised that both parties had taken items from the store, passed all points of sale without paying, before exiting out of the north end of the store. Outside, security approached the suspects who then dropped all the items taken, valued at $65.56, and fled on foot through the parking lot toward Atwood Avenue.

Johnston patrol units then converged on the area where the suspects were last seen. A male and female fitting the description of the suspects were later found hiding in an alleyway in the rear of 1350 Hartford Ave. Store security later positively identified the pair as the ones he had confronted.

Jonathan West, 37, of 56 Barton Avenue in Warwick, and Micayla Martin, 20, of 381 Wickenden St., Apt. 1 in Providence, were taken into custody without incident. West was charged with conspiracy and shoplifting and transported to police headquarters. He was arraigned as a probation and bail violator before Justice of the Peace McCaffrey and remanded to the ACI Intake Center.

Martin was also arraigned before Justice of the Peace McCaffrey as a probation violator and remanded to the ACI Intake Center.

TRESPASSING

While traveling on Groton Street on April 13 around 6:30 p.m., Officer Kevin Brady was advised by a resident walking his dog that he had observed several boys walking in the woods behind Ashby Street. He stated that the boys were wearing backpacks and appeared suspicious. The resident said one male was wearing a black sweatshirt while another had a gray sweatshirt on.

Officer Brady then searched the immediate area with negative results. The officer was then joined by Patrolman Arthur Petteruti, and began searching on foot around the Ludlow cell tower area, which abuts the wooded area where the males were seen. Located at 30 Ludlow St., the cell tower is equipped with numerous “No Trespassing” signs.

According to the report, as the officers approached the maintenance building and could hear several people talking. As they turned the corner, the officers observed three males standing beside the security fence and appeared ready to climb it. Two other males were then observed inside the security fence and on top of the roof of the maintenance building.

Officers were able to detain the three males outside of the fence and one of the males inside the fence, but one suspect on the roof began to run before Officer Petteruti gave chase and caught the suspect. Several other officers soon arrived on scene to provide assistance. No new damage to the structures at the scene was observed.

All of the suspects were taken into custody before being transported to police headquarters and processed. Three suspects were identified as juveniles, who were charged with willful trespass and then turned over to their parents.

Trischin Denton, 18, of 165 Prudence Ave. in Providence, was found to have a large hunting knife over three inches long on his person. He was charged with willful trespass and weapons other than firearms prohibited. He was held for arraignment.

Dashon Blockson, 18, of 161 Prudence Ave. in Providence, was also charged with willful trespassing and held pending arraignment.

LARCENY

On April 12 around 1:03 p.m., Patrolman Ryan Lemieux responded to the Dunkin’ Donuts at 1999 Plainfield Pike in reference to stolen cash. Upon his arrival at the store, he met with the reporting party who advised that on April 8 around 7:53 p.m., an employee identified as Wendy Sangare, 41, of 59 Taylor Street in Johnston, took between $100 and $200 in tips from a secured locker in the back of the store.

The complainant stated that his night shift manager had resigned and that he did not have time to fill her shift on the 8th, and that Sangare requested the locker key where the tips were located should the night shift need to make change. The reporting party said that after the afternoon shift manager left, Sangare placed all of the money in her purse and finished her shift.

The store manager contacted Sangare on April 9 by phone and questioned her about the missing money, but she hung up and had not been contacted since. Surveillance footage captured the event, and was later turned over to police for evidence. The store indicated that they wished to press charges.

After being contacted by Detective Steven Lopez, Sangare reported to police headquarters on April 19, where she provided a handwritten statement admitting she had stolen the tip money. She was placed under arrest and charged with misdemeanor larceny. She was later released with a May 1 Third District court date.