Narragansett Police Log: July 27 and 28, 2011

Narragansett Woman Arrested for Fraudulent Use of Dead Woman's Credit Card

Susan B. Lacus, 62, of 24 Gardiner St., was arrested at about 8:30 a.m. on July 28 on a charge of fraudulent use of a credit card.

According to police, on July 5 they received a complaint from a 40-year-old Charlestown, MA, woman that someone had used one of her credit cards in Narragansett. The woman said that a purchase was made at CVS in Bonnet Shores, and she suspected a family member who lives in Narragansett.

The woman said that she called the manager at CVS, who described a woman who sounded like her family member. According to the woman, when she confronted Lacus with this information, Lacus initially denied her accusation before confessing and apologizing. Police reviewed a surveillance tape from CVS on July 11, and on July 18, the 40-year-old woman identified the person on the tape as Lacus.

The woman added that Lacus also tried to charge $300 to the woman’s mother’s credit card on June 24, for a honeymoon trip for Lacus’ daughter. However, the woman said that her mother had died on June 2, and after talking with the travel agency, the charge was cancelled.

Police drafted a warrant for Lacus’ arrest on July 19. On July 28, she turned herself into police headquarters without incident. She told police that she did not want to give a statement, except that she had made arrangements with her family to straighten things out financially.

Lacus was processed and arraigned at headquarters. She was issued an Aug. 16 date for Fourth Division District Court.

String of Smash and Grab Burglaries in Galilee

At about 6:45 a.m. on July 27, police received a report of several smash and grab thefts from cars in a Galilee parking lot.

According to employees of a lot on the Galilee Connector Road, between 8:30 p.m. on July 26 and 6:15 a.m. on July 27, several cars were broken into. Police said seven vehicles had either the driver’s side or passenger’s side window smashed in, along with other signs of theft, such as open glove boxes.

According to police, a rain the previous night compromised any physical evidence on the scene. Most of the victims were Block Island residents who had left cars in storage on the mainland.

The extent of what was taken from the cars was unknown, as police had not yet made contact with the drivers. The incident remains under investigation by Narragansett and RIDEM police.

Narragansett Man Arrested for Suspended License

David A. Downes, 43, of 1056 Boston Neck Road, Apt. 5, was arrested at about 5 p.m. on July 28 on a charge of driving with a suspended license.

According to police, an officer familiar with Downes’ past arrest history saw him driving a car on Boston Neck Road. The officer knew Downes’ license was suspended and made a traffic stop on Boston Neck Road, near Downes’ apartment.

A background check revealed that his license was suspended, and he was arrested without incident. The car was towed from the scene. Downes was arraigned at police headquarters and released at 6:30 p.m. He was issued a Fourth Division District Court date of Aug. 9.

Warwick Man Arrested for Suspended License

Justin C. Marchese, 21, of 3595 Post Road, Apt. 3, Warwick, was arrested at about 5:22 p.m. on July 28 on a charge of driving with a suspended license.

According to police, based on past contacts with Marchese, they knew his license to be suspended. An officer on patrol spotted him driving north on Ocean Road, and pulled him over on Central Street near the intersection of Boon Street.

A background check confirmed that Marchese’s license was suspended. He was arrested and transported to police headquarters. His car, which he had bought that day according to a bill of sale, was towed.

The information for this article was compiled from Narragansett police reports, which are available for review by any member of the public at their . If we’re missing a call or report you’re interested in knowing about, feel free to leave a comment or to send Local Editor Stephen Greenwell a message at Stephen.greenwell@patch.com.

Want to be notified when new police reports are posted? Click the “follow-up” button below!