Crime & Safety
North Kingstown Man Charged with Stealing Wallet in Wal-Mart Parking Lot
He told police he found the wallet on the ground and took $75.50 in cash, police allege.
NEWPORT, RI—Juan Morales, 76, of North Kingstown, was charged on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. with larceny under $1,500, which is a misdemeanor, Newport police said. He is accused of taking cash from a wallet dropped in the Wal-Mart parking lot on Connell Highway.
According to the arrest report, on Jan. 21 a customer complained her wallet had been taken while she was in the parking lot. A store employee found it, but there was money missing. The victim claimed about $190 was missing.
After looking at surveillance footage, police saw a gold Chevy Malibu driving through the parking lot and noticed someone in the car dropped a wallet out the window.
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Police suspected Morales based on the car registration and on other surveillance footage inside the store.
He was contacted and went to the Newport Police station to discuss the issue. He allegedly said he found the wallet on the ground and removed $75.50 in cash before he tossed it out the car window.
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