The Police Log is a digest of reports filed by the Cranston Police

SMALL RETURN
Two men were arrested and charged with robbing the Cumberland Farms store at 659 Reservoir Ave. on April 19. Officer John Rocchio said he was one of a number of officers who responded to the call around 12:30 a.m. and followed the suspects in a maroon SUV to Fountain Avenue where a felony stop was conducted at gunpoint. He said the passenger in the car was ordered out of the vehicle and told to walk backwards toward the officers. He said he had to be told several times before he complied and was handcuffed. Rocchio said the suspect became surly and uncooperative and began to argue, “I didn’t do nuthin’” and “Yous got the wrong guys.” He said he continued to argue as he was placed in the car and Rocchio recovered a crumpled $20 bill that Sgt. Justin Dutra saw him throw out the window of the SUV. Rocchio said he found a crack pipe and a jackknife in the suspect’s pocket and found the hat and sunglasses that were described by the victim inside the car.
The victim told police the passenger, identified as John Demarais, 51, of 20 Messer St. in Warwick, came in the store and loitered a bit before coming up to the counter and telling him he had a knife and to give him all the $20 bills in the drawer. The clerk told police he only had one $20 bill in the drawer and gave it to the robber, who then left the store.
The $20 bill that was thrown out of the car was entered as evidence against Demarais and his accomplice, identified as Jamie Simmons, 36, of 6 Langs Berries Ave. in North Providence. They were both charged with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. Demarais’ bail was set at $10,000 surety and Simmons was assessed at $7,000 surety, both of which went unpaid. Simmons was additionally charged as a Superior Court probation violator.

WHY THEY GET CAUGHT
Officer David Tirrell reported he was on patrol around 1:25 p.m. on April 16 when he saw a 2005 Hyundai take an illegal turn from Elmwood Avenue onto Park Avenue from the high-speed lane across the path of a slower car. Tirrell said he followed the car and saw it travel in the breakdown lane as he was running the plate through his unit’s computer. He said he pulled the car over near City Hall and arrested the registered owner, John Joseph Silvia, 62, of 15 Wild Berry Dr. in Cranston, on three outstanding warrants out of Sixth, Third and Family Courts. He said the passenger of the car was taken by Rescue to Rhode Island Hospital for evaluation for being impaired. Silvia was held for arraignment.

NO SMOKING
Officer Jon Pariseault reported a fire on the second floor balcony at 1580 Cranston St. around 11 p.m. on April 17. Cranston Fire took care of the flames, which were confined to the balcony itself, and Pariseault spoke with the owner of the house who told him she had a new tenant on the second floor and that she expected him to be there shortly. When he arrived, he explained to Pariseault and the firefighters that he had been out on the balcony earlier, having a smoke, which he extinguished in a potted plant. The firefighters deducted that the cigarette was not completely out, caused the mulch to catch on fire which caused enough heat to crack the pot, which released the smoldering mulch onto the balcony to start the fire. The person who called in the alarm said she was driving by when she saw that the balcony was on fire, attempted to alert people inside and, when she didn’t get an answer, called the fire department.

SHOPLIFTING
A Providence woman was charged with felony shoplifting after Officer Matthew Shaffran learned that the arrest on April 18 was not the first for Cheyenne L. Dailey, 25, of 167 Orms St. He said they recovered eight items from her that totaled $178.24 from the Kmart store on Garfield Avenue. Shaffran said she wasn’t on probation at the time of her arrest but her prior arrests and the amount she walked out of the store with dictated a felony charge. She was released with a summons to attend to some child care problems arising from her being detained.

GETTING CHARGED
A Providence man was charged with shoplifting on April 19 after loss prevention at the Kmart told police he broke open the packaging on a Craftsman drill kit and removed the battery charger and concealed it in a TJ Maxx shopping bag before leaving the store without paying for it. Ceasar Pedro, 31, of 127 Hanover St. in Providence was charged with shoplifting and released with a summons.

TOW TOO LATE
Officer David Jubinville reported an accident with an injury and the driver leaving the scene near 374 Webster Ave. on April 16. He said they arrived to find a man standing next to the pole, who said he was a passenger in the Dodge Caravan that hit the pole and hit his head on the windshield. He said he got out to survey the damage and pull himself together and his woman friend, who was driving the van, drove off and left him there. He said he suspected she went back to her mother’s place at the Riverbend Apartments but he went to his own mother’s house to get help. Jubinville said they went to locate the van after the man told him the driver called a tow truck from Huntington Avenue to take the van away. Jubinville said he went to Huntington and saw the van on an A&A Towing truck. The driver told him the woman sold him the van for $350. He said they then went back to the Riverbend Apartments and arrested Paula-Jean J. Peters for leaving the scene of an accident, injuries resulting, and for damaging a highway fixture without reporting it. She was later released with a summons.