Woman Steals Christmas Gift TV & Trades it for Crack, Newport Police Allege

NEWPORT, RI—Christina M. Lopes, 29, of Newport was arrested Dec. 27 at 2:17 p.m. She was charged with larceny (from a building) under $1,500, a misdemeanor.

Police allege she stole a 32-inch RCA LED television from a Park Holm apartment where she had been staying over the holidays.

According to police, the victim said Lopes stayed with him and his aunt for five days because she had nowhere else to go. On Dec. 27 at about 1:30 p.m., he went to the store. When he returned half an hour later, Lopes and the television were gone.

She allegedly told his aunt she was taking the TV to a friend's house to get it fixed. The victim told police it was a brand new TV and had been a gift, but they had not seen any programs on it because it needed an antenna.

He told police she had gone to another Park Holm apartment, and he contacted her. He advised her he didn't want to call police and she should just return the TV.

Police later spoke to Lopes, who was not staying at Park Holm but at a different address. She initially denied taking the television and said she had been at Newport County Mental Health for an appointment. Police checked and found her adviser was on vacation. When the officer said he knew she was lying, she allegedly admitted she stole the TV and traded it for crack, which she'd already used. She also told police she didn't know the name or address of the person who sold her the crack.