Police Nab Men About to Invade Home

Police arrested three young East Providence men attempting to break into a home off North Broadway in the middle of the afternoon on Friday, Nov. 4.

According to a police report, an officer noticed a Chrysler driving down North Broadway with a smashed window and trunk popped open. After shortly losing track of the vehicle, the officer noticed two men looking around suspiciously on the road. He turned around, made eye contact with the men, who then ran into a residence. The officer banged on the door; they did not open it, according to the report.

He then noticed the same Chrysler was parked in the residence's driveway. A man wearing a black mask stood near the vehicle that was occupied by a driver. 

Noticing the officer, the man in the mask, later identified as Barron Harris, took off running. Officers chased after him and canvassed the area. They caught him a short time later on Orchard Avenue, according to the report.

Police later found out the men were planning on launching a home invasion. The would-be larcenists received information on the location and its owners after a co-conspirator befriended the young man who lived in the house. A group of people were smoking marijuana in the house around the time the invasion was planned, reads the report.

Barron Harris, 25, of 707 Douglas Ave., was charged with breaking and entering without consent, and possession of marijuana; Christopher Roman, 21, of 61 Wealth Ave. was charged with obstructing an officer in the line of duty; Hector Melo, 20, of 30 Armington Ave., was charged with driving with an expired license at approximately 2:26 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4.

An officer hit his head while running after Harris. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital and given stitches.