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

THE TALE OF A TUB
Officer Manuel Pacheco reported an open fire complaint on Nausauket Road on Jan. 18. He said he arrived to find that Warwick Fire had already had the fire out and he went to speak with the homeowner. He said he spoke with the owner of the residence, who explained to him that he lit a shed in his backyard on fire because “it was old, and he was just trying to get rid of it.”
Pacheco said he took the man’s personal information and went back to his cruiser to enter the data for a check on the man. He said the data revealed that the man was wanted on a warrant for failure to appear in District Court. He said he called for a backup and went back to the house to arrest the man. He said a boy met him at the door and said he would get his father. Pacheco said Officer Raymond Cox went around to the back of the house and heard voices and, when he turned the corner, saw the older man in a hot tub. He said he told the man to step out of the tub because he was under arrest and the man asked if he could put some clothes on first. Pacheco said he allowed the man inside to get the clothes but he became uncooperative and was placed in handcuffs and escorted out of the house to the back seat of Pacheco’s cruiser. Pacheco said Cox remained at the house to gather some clothing for John E. Barboza, 31, of 419 Nausauket Rd., and delivered the clothes to headquarters. Barboza was later released on $8,355 surety bail.

UNREGISTERED
Officer Gary Driscoll reported he was on patrol on Post Road around 9 a.m. on Jan. 15 when he spotted a car with a license plate – Ward 3 – he recognized from several years ago when he stopped the vehicle for a registration issue. He said he ran the plate again and learned that the vehicle was unregistered and the driver and owner of the car had a suspended license. He said he attempted to catch up with the vehicle, but it had already been on the Airport Connector and gone onto the highway by then. He said he was on Jefferson Blvd. around 40 minutes later and saw the same Jeep Liberty and pulled it over near 110 Jefferson. He said he informed the driver of the reason he was stopped and was told the driver “was working on a problem that should be fixed very soon.”
Driscoll said his supervisor advised him that the driver should be arrested and charged with driving on a suspended license and issued a summons for District Court. Driscoll said he also gave Leo W. Garrity, of 194 Duxbury Ct., Warwick, a ticket for driving an unregistered vehicle and allowed him to have his car towed to his home.

ALARMING EVENT
Officer Gregory Johnson reported that he was dispatched to the Comfort Inn on Post Road around 12:05 a.m. on Jan. 21 for a larceny complaint and false fire alarm. He said he arrived to find about 60 guests and a hotel clerk who told police a man came to the management to complain that his Droid cell phone went missing in the lounge area of the hotel. He explained that the man noticed it was missing and the manager went back to the lounge to look for it. He said he came back to the desk and noticed that his personal Droid had been removed from the back of the counter. He said he then asked the man who lost his phone what happened to the phone that was at the counter and the man started swearing at him and telling him to “Go [expletive] himself.”
He said he was explaining the situation to hotel security when the man reappeared in the lobby wearing only red shorts. The clerk said he told the man to go back to his room and get dressed because the police were coming to investigate the missing phone situation. The clerk told police he swore some more at them and disappeared down a hallway a few seconds before the sound of breaking glass came from the stairwell, followed by what looked like smoke. He said he went to take a look and found the glass case to the fire extinguisher was broken and the extinguisher had been discharged in the hall.
Johnson said he followed the trail of the extinguisher to the second floor and learned that a carnival working group called Commerford and Sons had rented several rooms there. He said they located the suspect in one of the rooms, pretending to be asleep. The man was arrested for larceny but denied everything. He said they found a SIM card under his mattress and a phone outside the window of his room. Johnson said they both belonged to the desk clerk and Jonathen Matos, 21, of 460 Chestnut St., Springfield, Mass., was charged with larceny, disorderly conduct and malicious damage to property. He was later released on $3,000 surety bail.

LARCENIES
A mechanic on Locust Street called police on Jan. 18 to report that a car he was working on that was left behind a locked fence outside was missing all four wheels when he came to work that morning. He said the car was intact when he closed the shop the day before. He told police the rims and tires were worth about $1,600. No suspects or witnesses.
A Toll Gate Road resident told police he went to his car around 8:35 a.m. on Jan. 13 and found that his vehicle had been rummaged through and an upright 20-gallon air compressor and two electric hair clippers were missing. He said the missing property was worth around $420.
A Cranston woman told police she parked her car at Gold’s Gym on Bald Hill Road around 4:10 p.m. on Jan. 12 and returned to find that her $350 Coach handbag was missing. She said there was nothing of value in the bag. No suspects or witnesses.
Police took a report of a missing snow blower on Fair Street on Jan. 15. A homeowner there said the machine was probably taken sometime between Thanksgiving and January because the last time anyone noticed it was in the small attached greenhouse to the rear of the main house. He said most likely it was taken between Thanksgiving and Christmas because they were out of town for Christmas but only noticed it was missing on Jan. 15, when he came out to prepare the snow blower for the season. He told police the greenhouse was unlocked and there was no sign of forced entry. The Toro snow blower cost $699. No suspects or witnesses.

SHOPLIFTING
Jamie Medeiros, 23, of 511 Buffington St., Fall River, Mass., was charged with stealing $615 worth of cologne and cosmetics from the JC Penney store in Warwick Mall on Jan. 19. Security at the store said they saw her conceal the goods in a shopping bag before attempting to leave the store without paying for them. Police said they learned she was held as a bail violator and for having no positive identification on her.
Two Providence men were charged with shoplifting on Jan. 18 after loss prevention agents at Macy’s in Warwick Mall told police they saw the men select several jackets from the rack and take them to the fitting room. They told police they came out with two less jackets than they brought into the fitting rooms and were stopped as they were leaving the store without paying for them. They said they had to struggle with the men but did manage to hold them for police. They said they recovered two jackets worth $179 and $165, respectively. Christopher M. Colon, 18, and Alvin R. Cepeda, 22, both of 45 Galdstone St., Providence, were charged with shoplifting and later released with summonses for District Court.