Johnston Police Nab Alleged Planet Fitness Thief

A 60-year-old Johnston man faces two misdemeanor larceny charges after Johnston Police looked into a report of theft from two cars at the Planet Fitness on Hartford Avenue.

Joseph Mrozkewicz, of Golini Drive, is scheduled for pretrial hearings on Aug. 30 in the two separate cases.

On July 29, Ptlm. David Galligan reported that Dennis Lopresti, 64, went to police headquarters to report that $40 in cash and a GPS unit were missing from his car, which he'd parked at the Planet Fitness at about 10 a.m. that morning.

Lopresti said he had noticed that his keys had been moved to a different hook on the key rack inside the workout center, Galligan wrote in his report. 

Later that same day, Ptlm. David Galligan went to the Planet Fitness and spoke with Luis Torres-Leandry, who said about $50 in cash was missing from his car, which had been parked outside around the same time of the theft from Lopresti's car.

Following the initial reports, Det. Thomas Dwyer went to the gym the next day and spoke with a manager there, who said the company would provide surveillance footage that could show who was in the building during the time of the apparent theft.

The manager, Ambiorix Erazo, told Dwyer that he'd seen a man "standing in front of the key rack," and provided a description.

On July 31, Dwyer reported that he reviewed the surveillance video and "clearly observed" Mrozkewicz, whom Dwyer identified because he "had previous contact" with him.

Mrozkewicz pleaded no contest to charges of credit card fraud brought by Johnston Police in October, 2009, and completed a nine-month prison sentence and 27 months' probation in that case.

On July 29, Mrozkiewicz was serving probation on burglary and larceny charges from Connecticut, Dwyer noted.

Dwyer also reported that he spoke with Mrozkiewicz's son, who denied that he'd given his father permission to use his fitness club membership.

After getting the elder man's cell phone number, Dwyer called him and asked that he go to the police department for questioning. Mrozkiewicz said his lawyer would contact the department, and at about 4:30 p.m. on July 31, Atty. Sam Lovett called Dwyer and said Mrozkiewicz would surrender to police.

However, by the morning of Aug. 2, Mrozkiewicz had not turned himself in, and Dwyer reported that the department issued an arrest warrant.

On Aug. 14, Patrol Ofcs. Remy Mendez and John DeAngelis went to the Rhode Island State Police Barracks in Wickford after troopers arrested Mrozkiewicz on the active warrant.