Police Log - Pipe in the dashboard

By THOMAS GREENBERG
Posted 1/4/18

Possession of Illegal Drugs - As Officer Aaron Steere was conducting surveillance of the Motel 6 on Jefferson Boulevard, which has a reputation for criminal activity because it has been the source of a number of calls for service to Warwick Police...

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Police Log - Pipe in the dashboard

Posted

Possession of Illegal Drugs

As Officer Aaron Steere was conducting surveillance of the Motel 6 on Jefferson Boulevard, which has a reputation for criminal activity because it has been the source of a number of calls for service to Warwick Police, on Dec. 18 at approximately 8:16 a.m., he saw two males exit the Motel and walk over to a minivan and Hyundai parked next to each other.

Officer Steere ran background checks based on the license plates and learned that Francis Christy, 38, of 20 Jefferson Blvd. Apt #250, had been operating the Hyundai, a rental vehicle, and was staying at the Motel 6. His criminal history showed that he had numerous charges including possession of marijuana, disorderly conduct, felony assault with use of device similar to a firearm, shoplifting, possession with intent to deliver, passing counterfeit bills, and receiving stolen goods.

The Officer also saw that Christy’s license was suspended, and based on seeing the two other males coming to and from a vehicle, which had stopped in the lot, he believed that criminal activity was occurring.

A short time later, he observed Christy get in the car and leave the Motel parking lot. Officer Steere then pulled over Christy on Jefferson Boulevard.

While stopped, Christy told the Officer that he knew his license was suspended and that the car belonged to a family member who had sold it to his mother. Christy was being confrontational, according to the Officer, and Steere called Officer Mark Jandreau to assist.

Officer Steere called a tow because there were no licensed operators to take the vehicle, and he conducted a vehicle search while Christy stood with Officer Jandreau. While searching the vehicle, he saw torn off pieces of plastic baggies commonly used to package narcotics and pieces of white rock substance he believed to be cocaine, which he packaged as evidence to be tested.

Christy said he was not aware the substance as in the vehicle but did not deny that it was crack cocaine. He was released on a summonses for driving on a suspended license and Officer Steere brought the substance, which amounted to one gram, back to police headquarters, where it tested positive as crack cocaine.

Officer Steere, Officer Jandreau and Officer Matthew Moretti then went back to the Motel 6 and went to the room Christy was staying in. They knocked on the door several times but there was no answer. Officer Steere then said they needed to speak to Christy about the towed vehicle, and Christy said “is that all you’re here for?” and opened the door.

The Officers then told Christy he was under arrest, and a violent struggle between Christy and the Officers ensued in which Christy tried to pull away from the Officers. Eventually, Officers Steere and Moretti were able to get Christy onto a bed in the room and gain control of both arms, placing him into handcuffs. There were no injuries during the struggle.

Christy was then transported to Kent County Courthouse for arraignment and charged with possession of cocaine, resisting arrest and driving on a suspended license.

***

On Dec. 21 at approximately 11:29 a.m. Sergeant Jedidiah Pineau pulled over a Mazda 6 on Post Road near Airport Road after he had blocked traffic trying to get out onto Airport Road.

Upon talking with the driver, later identified as Kyle Arnold, 22, of 17 Beechwood St. in Coventry, the Sergeant smelled burnt marijuana and saw a marijuana pipe in the front dash that had marijuana residue in it. He asked Arnold if he had a medical marijuana card, which he did not, and asked if he had any more marijuana in the vehicle. Arnold handed him a small bag of marijuana from his glove box. Sergeant Pineau also saw a baggie on the floor of the car that had a white powdery substance in it.

The Sergeant called Officers Curley and Murray to assist. When they arrived, he searched Arnold and found a pill bottle, which had one full pill and one broken pill of Buprenorphine hydrochloride in it, a schedule III drug. He also found in another pocket a small plastic bag with 9 small green pills identified as Oxycodone hydrochloride, a schedule II drug.

Arnold told the Officers that he had gotten the drugs from the street without prescription and was using them to self-medicate.

A vehicle search showed more baggies and small amounts of marijuana strewn around the vehicle. He also found a small white pill in a container, which couldn’t be identified and was entered into evidence.

Arnold was taken into custody without incident and charged with two counts of possession of a schedule drug, II and III. He was also issued a civil violation of possession of marijuana, first offense, less than one ounce, with a court date of Jan. 5. He was also issued a citation for the original offense, for failing to yield, and was processed and transported to court.

Larcenies

On Dec. 21 at approximately 6:58 a.m. Officer Walter Larson responded to a report of car larceny and vandalism on Greco Lane.

The reporting party told the Officer that his E50 van had been broken into. The Officer saw that the rear sliding side door had been pried out and was on the ground next to the vehicle. The reporting party said he had gotten the car back from the repair shop the previous day and left it overnight, and found it in its current state that morning.

He said that a number of tools were taken from the van, including a compressor valued at $250, a band saw valued at $300, a sawzall valued at $200, a hammer drill valued at $200, a ladder valued at $75 and assorted drill bits and blades valued at $120. He gave the Officer a receipt for the items purchased in November. He could not provide serial numbers for the items.

He said that something like that had happened about a month earlier and he did have an employee leave on bad terms approximately a month ago. He said he wished to press charges for the $1,145 worth of items stolen.

***

On Dec. 21 at approximately 11:07 a.m. Officer Walter Larson responded to Ideal Printing on Greco Lane for a report of larceny from a vehicle.

The reporting party said that he had parked his car in the parking lot the night before and when he went to it that morning he found his touch screen radio, valued at around $750, and his shop vac, valued at around $100, missing.

There were no suspects at the time, although the owner of a nearby business was going to see if the crime was captured on their surveillance camera.

Shoplifting

On Dec. 16 at approximately 1:10 p.m. Sergeant Robert Palombo, Officer Javier Cabreja, and Officer Reiff responded to the area of Walmart on Bald Hill Rd. for the report of a shoplifting in progress.

The Loss Prevention officer saw a male suspect taking items from the store and leaving without paying. When she and the store manager stopped the suspect and asked him to come back into the store, he took off running but left the merchandise behind, which was valued at $139.64.

The Loss Prevention officer told the Officers upon arrival that the store would like to press charges even though the merchandise was recovered and would like the suspect trespassed from the property.

The suspect was not found nor identified and the report was forwarded to Detectives.

***

On Dec. 16 at approximately 9:15 p.m. Officer Ryan Lancaster responded to the Best Buy on Universal Boulevard for a report of a shoplifting in progress.

Upon arrival, a Best Buy employee told the officer that a male had taken merchandise from the store without paying for it. Officer Lancaster gave the description of the suspect over the radio and Officer Damian Andrews, driving in the area, located him running across the road on Inskip Way, where he apprehended him. The suspect, identified as Alberto Mojica-Ortiz, 37, of 15 Amity St. in New London, Conn., admitted to taking a radio adapting kit and wiring harness set from the store, which he took out of his pockets.

The employee at Best Buy identified Mojica-Ortiz when Officer Andrews brought him back to the store, and then he was taken into custody for shoplifting and taken back to police headquarters.

Upon running checks on Mojica-Ortiz, it was found that he had a possible Full Extradition Warrant out for him for Dangerous Drugs through the U.S. Marshals Service.

Mojica-Ortiz was then jailed under the custody of Warwick Police until he could be arraigned on Dec. 18, upon which the U.S. Marshals would pick him up.

***

On Dec. 19 at approximately 11:17 a.m. Officer Albert Marano responded to the Kohl’s on Bald Hill Road for the report of a shoplifting that had occurred previously.

Upon arrival, the Loss Prevention officer told Officer Marano that she had the suspect, identified as Angelica Ferrer, 22, of 5 Heather Hollow Rd. in West Greenwich, in custody.

The Loss Prevention officer’s written statement said that Ferrer had taken clothing and jewelry from the Juniors section of the store and had gone into a fitting room, where she took off the security tickets and placed the items in a bag. She took the items out of the store without paying for them, at which point the Loss Prevention officer apprehended her without incident.

Ferrer took six items with a total value of $269. She was placed in handcuffs and taken to police headquarters, where she was charged with Shoplifting Felony and Habitual Offender Shoplifting. She was then transported to Third District Court for arraignment.

***

On Dec. 22 at approximately 6:00 p.m. Officer Brian Holleran responded to the Nordstrom Rack at the Warwick Mall for a report of shoplifting.

The Loss Prevention officer told Officer Holleran that he saw a female, later identified as Nairoby Depena, 34, of 9 Whelan Rd. Apt. #1-6 in Providence, taking items from the kids department and putting them in a Nordstrom Rack shopping bag.

The officer then observed her to take items from the women’s section and the men’s section. She then placed the shopping bag down and took one shirt to the register to pay for it. Then, she went back to where she left the bag in the men’s section and exited the store without paying for the items.

She was then detained by Loss Prevention and taken back to their office without incident. The merchandise, which had a total value of $571.15, was all recovered.

Depena was then placed under arrest for shoplifting by Officer Holleran and, because of previous shoplifting convictions and the value of the merchandise, taken back to police headquarters. She was then processed for Felony Shoplifting.

***

On Dec. 23 at approximately 7:33 p.m. Officers Alfred Silveira and Brian Holleran responded to a report of a shoplifting in progress at the Dick’s Sporting Goods store on Bald Hill Road. Dispatch told them that a male had just left the store in a vehicle heading northbound on Route 2.

After checking Route 2 briefly, the officers went to the store, where the operations manager told them that a customer outside told the store that a male had run into a Honda Accord with merchandise in his arms.

Upon reviewing footage, the manager saw that the suspect had run out of the building. She checked the floor and found that he took one North Face Parka valued at $299.99 and one North Face sweater valued at $99.99.

The manager said the store wished to press charges and gave the Officers a flash drive with the video along with a receipt for the merchandise, and the report as forwarded to Detectives.

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