Police Log: Hit and Run, Pot Holes Eat Wheels, Snow Melt Reveals Stolen Condensers

GRAFFITTI
A vandal recently sprayed obscenities on the tunnel under the train tracks off London Street, police said, but they didn’t last long before the town painted them over.

An East Greenwich officer on patrol on March 16 saw the graffiti at around 11 a.m. It stated “ [expletive] Cops” in two different areas and appeared to be written by the same person.

The town highway department was notified.

FALL
East Greenwich firefighters transported an 86-year-old woman to the hospital after a fall at Swift Gym on March 16.

The woman reportedly lost her balance and fell, striking her head. Responders bandaged a laceration on the back of her head and she was transported to Kent County Memorial Hospital for treatment.

POT HOLES
A Cranston woman told police on March 16 that her wheel was damaged and her tire was flattened by a pot hole on Division Street near the entrance to The Preserve.

On March 17, a Shippeetown Road resident told police that her front passenger wheel and tire were damaged when she hit a pothole on Division Street just east of the Interstate 95 on-ramp at about 11:30 a.m. the day before.

On March 17, a Shippeetown Road man told police that he hit a pot hole near New England Tech on Division Road that caused damage to his passenger side front wheel and tire.

The pot hole was near New England Tech on Division Road and he said he couldn’t see it because the pot hole was filled with water.

On March 18, a Bicknell Ave. man told police that his wheel was bent and tire damaged after he hit a pot hole on Division Street near The Preserve.

On March 20, a North Kingstown woman told police that she hit a pot hole on Division Street near Sanctuary Drive on March 16.

The impact caused damage to her front passenger wheel and tire.

A/C UNITS STOLEN
Three air conditioning condensing units were stolen from a building at 2240 South County Trail sometime over the winter, police said.

Each unit is valued at about $4,000 and were removed whole after wires were cut.

The damage could have taken place sometime over the past month or so since the damage wasn’t noticed until much of the snow had melted, police said.

Police are investigating.

MCDONALDS DAMAGED
A Manager at the McDonalds on New London Turnpike on March 18 told police that the building had been damaged sometime recently.

Police said an exterior wall appeared to have been struck by a vehicle that had gone up the walkway. There was a small piece of metal ”consistent with a license plate” but no other evidence or marks in the area.

BOAT CHECK
East Greenwich police checked out a boat docked at East Greenwich Marina on March 18 after a neighbor noticed a light had been turned out despite the owner not being in town.

Police said the owner of the boat called from Boston and asked for an officer to take a look and see if anything had been disturbed. The boat should have been zipped up and he hadn’t been there since New Year’s, according to a police report.

An officer reported finding the rear zipper entrance was unzipped and the boarding light was on. Inside, the cabin area was secured but a Yuengling beer bottle was on the floor near the helm. It did not appear that anything had been damaged or stolen.

The boat owner told police that he’d have someone local check up on the boat and would call police again, if necessary.

HIT AND RUN
Police charged Zachary D. Anderson, 24, of 5710 Flat River Road, Greene, with failing to stop at the scene of an accident after he allegedly struck another car he was passing on Crompton Road the night of March 15.

Police said they got a report from the victim at around 10:15 p.m. as he followed Anderson for a period of time after the accident. The victim said he was struck by a black Cadillac that kept on going after it passed.

Police told the victim to stop following. Anderson turned himself in to police the next day. Police used a license plate number from the victim to identify Anderson as a suspect.

According to a police report, Anderson said that he was trying to pass the other driver because he was driving just 20 mph. He said he was afraid to stop because he was worried about getting another traffic ticket against his driver’s license.

Anderson was released with an April 3 District Court summons.

WANDERING DOG
East Greenwich police got a report of a pit bull found in the street with no collar at around 7:30 p.m. on March 16 and soon were able to reunite the dog with its owner after she called police looking for her dog.

Police said a King Street woman found the dog in the street and it followed her and eventually went running into her apartment. The dog was then transported to the North Kingstown Animal Hospital.

When the owner, identified by police as a 26-year-old Warwick woman, called, dispatchers told her that the dog was at the animal hospital.

FRAUD
A Tanglewood Drive couple was the victim of a widespread tax return refund scam.

Police said the husband told police on March 19 that they got a letter from the Internal Revenue Service informing them there was a problem with the direct deposit process for their tax refund. The problem was that the couple had not filed their taxes, police said.

The IRS was notified.

WARRANT
Police charged Adam C. Mercurio, 24, of 157 College St., Warwick, with a warrant March 19 at 10:54 a.m.

Police said Mercurio was stopped on Main Street after an officer saw him driving without a seatbelt and looking down at his phone.

A check showed Mercurio had an active Third Division District Court warrant and he was taken into custody without incident.