Detectives Track Dave's Shoplifter with the Help of Google Maps

A 65-year-old Providence man is facing shoplifting charges after he allegedly walked out of Dave’s Marketplace on Division Street with a shopping cart loaded with a pumpkin, shrimp, corn, potatoes, cheese and sesame oil without paying.

And to catch Carlos B. Rosa, 65, of 397 Hope St., Providence, East Greenwich detectives systematically tracked him down using a mix of surveillance video, witness statements and Google Maps to find him and get an admission.

Police said Rosa was confronted by a store manager in the parking lot at around 5:30 p.m. while pushing the cart. He abandoned it, got into a 2004 Lexus SUV and drove away by the time police arrived.

Police used the license plate number from the Lexus to find its registered owner — a woman living in Providence.

Using Google Maps’ aerial photos, they could clearly see the same SUV parked outside 397 Hope St.

Detectives gathered still images from the surveillance photos, drove to the Providence address, and found the registered owner who said a man named “Carlos” was driving the car at around the time of the incident.

Rosa was inside the apartment and eventually came to the door and reportedly admitted to the crime when confronted with the still images.

Rosa is due to be arranged on Oct. 3 in Third Division District Court.