This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Crime & Safety

Police Log: April 15 to April 18

This is a summary of reports provided to Johnston Patch by the Johnston Police Department for April 15 to April 18, 2011.

Stealing scraps:

Andrew J. Perfetto, 31, of 404 Post Road, Warwick, was arrested on a charge of larceny under $500 on Friday, April 15. The arrest followed a larceny complaint filed on April 8. Patrolman Matthew Winsor responded to Ballard Truck Center at 280 Scituate Ave. on April 8 for a call reporting that a man was removing scrap metal from a Dumpster.

The service manager told Winsor that he saw a GMC 1500 pickup truck parked near the Dumpster, and a white male was removing brake drums, truck clutches, and piston liners from the dumpster and putting them in the rear of the pickup truck.

Find out what's happening in Johnstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The service manager approached the man, who reportedly said, “I’ll put them back. Don’t call the cops,” according to Winsor’s report. The service manager said he was going to call the police. The suspect then got into the truck, drove away, and got on the Interstate 295 South on-ramp. The service manager wrote down the registration plate of the truck along with a description and supplied the information to Winsor. The license plate was for an expired registration on Perfetto's 1996 GMC truck.

Simple assault at health center:

Find out what's happening in Johnstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Johnston Police responded to Morgan Health Center for a report of an assault on a 66-year-old female patient on Friday, April 15. A therapist at the center opened the door to room 421 and witnessed the female patient lying on her back on a bed and Juan A. Baez, a floor washer, was lying directly on top of the patient. After the therapist opened the door, Baez allegedly quickly got up, retrieved his mop, and left the room. The therapist could not tell if sexual contact had taken place, according to Johnston Patrolman Stephen R. Altomari’s report.

The patient is a dementia patient and the staff members were unable to learn the details of the incident from the patient. Baez allegedly told Altomari that he entered room 421 and saw the patient lying on the bed. Baez said she was crying and said she was cold. He then allegedly hugged the patient while standing and leaning over the bed. “Mr. Baez stated that he often hugs the patients and has never received any previous complaints in the three months that he was employed there,” read Altomari’s report. Baez allegedly said he closed the door to sweep behind it and was not in the room more than two to three minutes before the therapist walked in.

The patient was transported to Women and Infants Hospital for an examination to determine if a sexual assault took place. The patient declined the examination.  Juan A. Baez, 48, of 351 Simmonsville Ave., Johnston, was arrested on a charge of simple assault or battery. He was arraigned and released on $1,000 personal recognizance.

Animal cruelty charge:

Johnston Police Sgt. Alverson, Patrolman Brady, and Patrolman Luca A. Lancellotti Jr. responded to 25 Osgood Ave. for a report of two dogs locked in an unattended van on Sunday, April 17. When the officers arrived at about 5:30 p.m., a witness stated that the van had been parked there all day with the dogs inside. They also stated that the dogs had been barking all day. One dog was a Jack Russell Terrier and the other dog appeared to be an American Bull Terrier, according to Lancellotti’s report. 

When Lancellotti looked in the van the dogs were “barking hysterically and panting heavily,” according to the report. A thick black plastic covered the windows except for the driver’s side and passenger windows. The police learned that Travis McCray owned the van and was staying with friends in the area. Lancellotti made several attempts to contact McCray on his cell phone and left a message stating that McCray needed to contact the police department immediately regarding his dogs.

An animal control officer responded to the scene along with a tow-truck operator that had vehicle lock-out tools. The dogs were removed without incident and an empty bowl was located in the back of the van. A search of the van resulted in dried stems and leaves from marijuana plants, along with growing materials such as “grow lights,” ventilation fans, a fluorescent light, PVC piping, etc., according to the police reports.  

Travis S. McCray, 36, of an unknown address, was arrested on a charge of possession of marijuana, first offense, and animal cruelty.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.