NORTH SMITHFIELD – Alleged shoplifters at businesses in Dowling Village have kept North Smithfield officers busy this month, with police responding to more than a dozen calls in the Eddie Dowling Highway development.
Several of the suspects were also charged as habitual offenders.
On Friday, Jan. 3, officers arrested Shawn Ferris, 47, of 1210 Eddie Dowling Highway in North Smithfield. Ferris was charged with felony shoplifting, as well as the misdemeanor count as a habitual offender.
According to the record of the incident, an employee at Kohl’s reported a subject leaving the store with a shopping cart full of items headed toward nearby Walmart. Officers located a man matching the description provided pushing a Kohl’s shopping cart in the Walmart parking lot, later identified as Ferris.
Ferris appeared to be intoxicated, according to officers, and was carrying a bag full of small bottles of liquor. His cart contained two Canon Rebel cameras valued at $1,499. He reportedly told police that his daughter had given him the cameras, but she approached soon after and said it was untrue.
Ferris was released with a 3rd District court summons, and has a hearing scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 30.
On Thursday, Jan. 9, police were called to Lowe’s Home Improvement for a report of two suspects walking out with a drill.
Officers located the pair by Texas Roadhouse and discovered that one of the suspects had a drill hidden under his shirt.
Brian James Belcher, 39 of 808 Elm St., Woonsocket was arrested in the incident, and charged with both felony and misdemeanor shoplifting, along with the habitual offender count, and two warrants out of 6th district court.
According to police, Belcher also had a receipt from The Gold Loan Company for a similar drill that had already been pawned. A Lowe’s employee was able to identify that the second drill had also been taken from the store.
The arrests are among several calls to Dowling Village businesses since the start of the year. Police logs since January 1 document one additional call to Lowe’s, plus three to Walmart, six to Kohl’s, one to CVS Pharmacy and a counterfeit complaint at Aldi’s.
