Crime & Safety

OMGPD: Hoaxes, Pajama Bottoms and Bloody Knuckles

We compile the more unusual police logs from the pass week.

Hoax caller taxes Woonsocket Police 

March was not a fun month for Woonsocket police and emergency dispatchers, after a hoax caller  to stop supposed crimes in progress or to help people in distress. In one case, officers went to a store after a caller said he saw someone toss a handgun into a dumpster, but there was no gun found in the area and no one waiting at the scene. Minutes later the same person called the station dispatcher again, and said he'd meet the officers in the parking lot of a pizza shop. Police went, but the person never arrived. Throughout March, dispatchers reportedly received phony reports of teens stealing from cars, elderly people having chest pains and neighborhood disturbances. Several of the unrelated calls came from the same phone number and other times, the caller's number was blocked. Each time, the caller gave a different false name. Officers reportedly approached a 27-year-old man known to police, who allegedly admitted to making some of the calls. He faces a charge of providing false information to a 911 operator.

Police not fooled by quick change

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A Woonsocket woman decided to commit an alleged assault while , then, when realizing her fashion faux pas, threw on some blue jeans in a convenience store. Officers responded to a tattoo parlor for a report of a fight, with the suspect described as a woman wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and pink pajama pants. A witness pointed police to a nearby convenience store. Inside the store, officers found three women, none wearing pink pajama pants, so they left. The clerk told police one of the women had removed a black sweatshirt, revealing she also wore a white T-shirt, and pulled on a pair of jeans, covering up her pink pajamas. The officer caught up with the women on the sidewalk, and after a few minutes of questioning, he determined that one of them wore black and pink. The officer took the suspect back to the tattoo parlor, where the victim and an employee identifid her. She was charged with obstructing a police officer and two counts of assault and battery. On the way to the ACI after police found warrants for her arrest, the woman allegedly became upset and began yelling at the officer driving. When they got to the ACI, she reportedly spit on the officer's patrol jacket, resulting in an additional assault charge..

Angry New Yorker bloodies knuckles punching holding cell glass

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An allegedly drunk driving New York man , and brought his disruptive attitude back to the station. Police pulled him over for allegedly speeding and swerving. Seeing a baseball bat in the car, the driver said he needed it for protection, and refused to get out of his car to look for his wallet after he admitted it "jumped from his lap" during the stop. After being charged with DUI for allegedly failing his field sobriety test, the man started threatening the officers on the way back to the station. During his private phone call, he allegedly stood up and slammed the handset on the table. Police reported he became angry and threw the handset and swept the table clear with his arm. 

The man was restrained and placed in a cell, but then police reported they heard a series of loud bangs. When they went to investigate, they saw wet blood on the glass window and on the belligerent man's knuckles. 

According to police, his violent behavior continued. He allegedly punched and kicked the walls, put the blanket into the toilet and yelled obscenities. Police reported he was placed in handcuffs and leg shackles until he calmed down, when he was then processed without incident.

Police oblige after man dares them to arrest him

Ask and you shall receive. A man reportedly walked along Broadway in Newport late at night . In front of the police station, he allegedly said, “Come out and arrest me, I knocked over the trash cans. What are you gonna do about it?” Police arrived and reportedly saw a knife sheath sticking out from under his untucked shirt. Police removed the knife and charged him with vandalism and possessing weapons other than a firearm.


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