DRIVING WITHOUT CONSENT

At approximately 11:44 a.m. on June 29, Officer David Babcock and other officers responded to Edible Arrangements at 1800 Post Road for a report of a stolen work van.

At the scene, Babcock met with the store manager, who said roughly 45 to 60 minutes prior to the arrival of police, someone had called the store to complain about the work van cutting them off in traffic. The store’s driver was then contacted, at which point it was discovered the van was missing and not being driven by an employee. The van had apparently been left running outside the store for loading just before the call came in from the motorist about being cut off.

The van, described as a 2020 Nissan NV200, was entered into records as stolen. Security camera footage was not immediately available.

Shortly thereafter, as officers finalized witness statements, dispatch advised a vehicle matching the description of the stolen van was reportedly “operating erratically in the southern end of the city.”

In a supplementary report, Officer Thomas Greene reports being advised by dispatch that the van had been seen heading east on Cowesett Avenue with a popped tire.

“As I approached the area it was advised West Warwick [Police] had received a call for service for an Edible Arrangements truck striking multiple vehicles in their town,” Greene reports. The vehicle was reportedly in the middle of Cowesett Road at Kulas Drive.

Greene located the vehicle, which was sitting in the westbound lane “with extensive damage sustained to the passenger’s side front wheel area.”

“Pieces of the tire were observed leading up to the vehicle down Cowesett Road from Quaker Lane,” the officer reports. Meanwhile, other officers located a man matching the description of the suspect and detained him.

Greene then spoke with a witness, who had observed the van as it proceeded through red lights, swerved between lanes and smash into the curb before coming to a stop. At that point, its male operator exited the vehicle and walked across two lanes of traffic.

The witness described the man as “unsteady on his feet, swaying back and forth” and “holding a drink (can) in his right hand.” The witness then positively identified the man in the custody of other officers as the suspect.

Thomas Anthony Wright, 52, 8 Central St., West Warwick, was arrested on a charge of operating a vehicle without the consent of the owner and additionally taken into custody on a bench warrant issued from Superior Court. He was transported to Warwick Police headquarters for processing and held as a bail violator.

DUI

Shortly after 11:30 p.m. on July 3, Officer Nicholas DeMarco was assisting a motorist at the intersection of Post and Airport roads when he observed a southbound Chevy Impala “drive through the intersection while the traffic light was still red, and lose their front passenger side tire.”

DeMarco responded to the Impala to check on the condition of its female operator, who was the sole occupant. The officer reports the woman had “bloodshot water eyes” and an odor of alcohol on her breath. When informed a tire had come off her vehicle, the woman is said to have told the officer she was heading to Oakland Beach.

The woman is said to have acknowledged consuming alcohol that night and agreed to undergo field sobriety testing, which she reportedly failed.

Heather M. Catterall, 42, 39 Oak St., Cranston, was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence and transported to Warwick Police headquarters for processing. While at headquarters, she is said to have refused a chemical breath test.

Catterall was later released into the custody of a sober adult with a summons to appear in Third Division District Court on a charge of driving under the influence. She was additionally cited for refusal to submit to a chemical test and obedience to traffic control devices.

SHOPLIFTING

Shortly after 2 p.m. on June 30, Officer David Babcock and other officers responded to the Macy’s at the Warwick Mall for a report of a shoplifting incident in progress. Dispatch then advised the male suspect had fled the store on a bicycle heading toward Lambert Lind Highway. Shortly thereafter, another officer reported having the suspect in custody.

Babcock arrived at Macy’s and met with a loss prevention employee, who said the suspect had been seen “carrying large bags inside the store” just before 2 p.m. The suspect is said to have selected seven polo shirts and concealed them in the bags before exiting the store without making any attempt to pay. When confronted by an employee, the suspect is said to have pulled six shirts out of the bags and fled on foot through the parking lot before getting onto a bicycle.

The suspect was said to be in possession of six shirts with a combined valued of $345, along with a wallet and six bottles of cologne from other stores.

Nicholas Robert Morenzi, 38, no address listed, was arrested on a charge of shoplifting and transported to Warwick Police headquarters for processing. He was additionally found to be wanted on five active Superior Court bench warrants, and he was held pending a court appearance.

WARRANTS

Shortly before 10 a.m. on June 23, Officer Derek Mourato was on Centerville Road when he observed an eastbound Toyota Highlander with a fully tinted windshield, as well as tinted front windows on both the driver and passenger sides. A records check then revealed the vehicle’s registration was expired.

Mourato initiated a motor vehicle stop and made contact with the male operator and two passengers, one male and one female. A records check found the male passenger was wanted on three active bench warrants issued from Superior Court, as well as an arrest warrant issued from the attorney general’s office.

Jonathan Santos Perez, 27, 54 Glenham St., Apt. 3, Providence, was taken into custody on the warrants and transported to Warwick Police headquarters for processing. He was later taken to Third Division District Court and transferred into the custody of sheriffs.

The operator of the Highlander was cited for operating with expired registration and for the illegal tinting. The vehicle was towed from the scene.

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Just after 8 p.m. on June 29, officers Thomas Paine and Ben Bratko responded to the Oakland Beach seawall for a report of an intoxicated person. Dispatch advised that open containers of alcohol were reportedly present in a red Hyundai.

At the scene, the officers located the vehicle and made contact with the men standing around it. They did not observe any alcoholic beverage containers in plain sight.

A check of the vehicle’s registration found its plates did not match, but one of the men said the car had just been purchased in the past week and its plates had not yet been transferred. The officers then asked the men for identification. A check of one man’s license found that he was wanted on an active arrest warrant issued from Woonsocket Police.

George E. Hamilton, 25, 76 Fairfield Ave., Apt. 1, Woonsocket, was taken into custody on the warrant and transported to Warwick Police headquarters for processing. He was held pending pickup by Woonsocket Police.

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At approximately 1:40 a.m. on July 2, Officer Tyler Luiz was conducting a routine patrol when he observed a 2000 Toyota Corolla operating in an “unsafe manner” as it headed south on Bald Hill Road.

Luiz reports the vehicle was “traveling at an unsteady rate of speed” – first speeding, then slowing considerably as his cruiser approached. He additionally observed the vehicle swerve over the breakdown lane marker and make multiple change lanes without utilizing its turn signal.

At that point, Luiz initiated a stop and made contact with the vehicle’s male operator and female passenger. The operator was found not to have a driver’s license, while records revealed the passenger was wanted on an active bench warrant issued from Superior Court.

Shauna Young, 32, 1235 Division Road, Apt. 301, West Warwick, was taken into custody on the warrant and transported to Warwick Police headquarters for processing. She was later transported to the Adult Correctional Institutions, where she was held pending a court appearance.