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

MISSING GLASSES 

Officer Russell Brown was dispatched to Warwick Police Headquarters at approximately 3 p.m. on Aug. 8 to speak with a woman in regards to lost/stolen eyeglasses that had occurred at Warwick Mall. The woman gave both a verbal and written statement indicating that on June 21 at approximately 1 p.m., she had gone to Warwick Mall to have two sets of eyeglasses adjusted. Upon arriving in the parking lot of the mall, she said she had placed the bag of sunglasses on the ground outside of her vehicle and then moved to the other side of her vehicle to get additional bags. She said she then went inside the mall, forgetting the bag of sunglasses on the ground in the parking lot. She said she immediately went back outside after realizing she forgot the bags of eyeglasses, however, upon reaching her vehicle the bag of eyeglasses was gone. Based on the short time she was in the mall, she said she believes somebody came and took the bag containing her eyeglasses. The woman said she contacted mall security and they advised her that no bag of glasses was turned in or retrieved. The woman described the glasses as one brown frame prescription eyeglasses (brand unknown) worth $200 and one prescription sunglasses (brand unknown) worth $300. The woman told Brown she was advised by American Express, the credit card company that she used initially to purchase the eyeglasses, that she needed to contact police and file a report for the taken eyeglasses. Brown said no complaint is being pursued and the report was taken for documentation purposes.

KEYED 

Officer Tammy Mello met with a woman in the lobby of Warwick Police Headquarters on Aug. 7 in reference to malicious damage to her vehicle. The woman said on Aug. 2 at around 3:20 p.m., she parked her vehicle in front of the Wal-Mart located at 650 Bald Hill Road. When she returned to her vehicle a short time later, she said she noticed that the driver’s side was keyed from the back door to the rear of the vehicle. She said she believes that a male, who was parked next to her, could have been responsible for the damage due to the fact that he mumbled something as he walked past her. Mello said the woman had no further description of the vehicle, nor did she obtain a registration plate for the vehicle. The woman told Mello she spoke with Wal-Mart security personnel and was advised that they possibly had video of the incident.

WALLET ITEMS STOLEN 

Officer Jason Brodeur was dispatched to the Speedway located at 61 Airport Road at approximately 4 p.m. on Aug. 13 for the report of a larceny. Upon arrival, Brodeur met with the reporting party, who said he was at Speedway earlier in the day and realized he had lost his wallet. He said that once he noticed it was gone, he returned to Speedway. He told Brodeur that he, his mother, and the manager went through video footage, but they were unable to see anything. He said he then did a search the area and found his wallet in front of the Egg Roll Café located next to the Speedway. He said the only things missing from the wallet were $160 in cash and his social security card. No suspects. 

SHOPLIFTING 

Officer Aaron Steere responded to the area of Sumner Street at approximately 4 p.m. on Aug. 16 to assist officers with a male subject who had fled from a vehicle after being involved in a shoplifting at the Wal-Mart located at 840 Post Road, which was a short distance away. Upon arrival, Steere spoke with the reporting party, who advised him that she was driving a kid she knew who had asked for a ride and dropped him off at Wal-Mart and he told her he was picking up a check or money order from his girlfriend. She advised that she had picked him back up and thought maybe he had stolen something. She told Steere that she kicked him out of her car and knocked on the first door she could find. She advised that they helped her and called police. They then advised that the suspect had fled in an easterly direction down Sumner Avenue toward Fifth Avenue. 

At the time, Steere said he removed his canine partner, Viking, from his patrol car and attached a tracking harness and 30-foot tracking line. Steere said he and Viking are a nationally certified narcotics tracking team through the North American Police Work Dog Association. Viking was then given the command to track, at which time he began to track down Sumner Avenue for approximately 1,500 feet to where they came to the intersection of Sumner Avenue and Fifth Avenue. Steere said Viking left the sidewalk area and went onto the lawn of a residence and began to track in a northerly direction before making a right hand turn on to Robin’s Way. Steere said at this time, he crossed the roadway and began to track in the yard of a residence on Robin’s Way, leading Steere to a thickly wooded swamp area. Steere said Viking then doubled back and crossed the lawn to the front of another residence on Robin’s Way, where Steere made contact with the homeowner, who advised that she had observed a male matching the description hiding where Steere and Viking had tracked to the edge of the swamp. 

At this time, Steere said he met with another officer who was on foot in the area and they followed Viking, who continued to track eastbound on Robin’s Way. Steere said the canine lead officers through a backyard of a house near the end of a cul de sac on Robin’s Way through a grassy area to the neighborhood of the Cranberry Pond Apartments. Steere said Viking led the officers to the edge of Cranberry Pond, where he made a right hand turn on to Mowry Avenue, which is the access road leading to the apartments. Viking then lost the track, so Steere brought him back to the area of 959 Post Road, which is a large apartment building in the Cranberry Pond Apartments. Steere said Viking began to track to his left and into the woodline, at which time the suspect, later identified as Joshua Murphy, 25, of 62 Summit Street, East Providence, jumped up from a prone position in some thick vegetation with his hands in the air advising he surrendered. Steere said he pulled back Viking and ordered Murphy out of the woodline, which he complied and the second officer was able to take him into custody without incident. Steere said Murphy did admit he shoplifted from Wal-Mart and he did not want any further issues. 

Steere said a show up was later completed with a loss prevention officer from Wal-Mart, who provided a positive identification of Murphy. Murphy was then transported to Warwick Police Department Headquarters, where he was found to be a probation violator and was held for the next session of Third District Court. Steere said the loss prevention officer provided a written statement that said while monitoring the video surveillance system, he observed an adult white male, approximately 20 to 25, wearing a light colored T-shirt, black cargo shorts, black ball cap with a tattoo at he base of the front of his neck, with black wrist bands on each wrist, approximately 5’9” weighing 180 pounds with brown hair and a close cropped beard. He said the subject selected various fishing tackle items and placed them in a backpack he had on when he entered the store. The subject then exited the store, making no attempt to pay for the items contained inside the backpack. The loss prevention officer said the man left on foot and crossed Post Road, where he was picked up by a vehicle. The loss prevention officer said Wal-Mart wished to pursue a criminal complaint and requested that a No Trespass Order be issued against the individual. Steere said copies of statements from the loss prevention officer and the reporting party were placed into Records along with a copy of the register receipt for the 42 recovered stolen items, which valued $364.96 before tax. Steere said he was also provided with surveillance footage, which was tagged and placed into Evidence. Murphy was charged with one count of Shoplifting Misdemeanor.