OMGPD: Man Risks Life Stealing Copper Wires

We compile the odd, unusual and ‘oh my gosh’ police itemsfrom throughout the region. 

From South Kingstown Patch 

A 45-year-old Cranston man risked his own life while stealing copper wires from utility poles to sell the copper as scrap. He was caught in the act of cutting ground wires from utility poles on several city streets, and he was charged with felony larceny.

"This is the first instance I've heard of someone actually pulling the ground wire from the poles," said David Graves, a spokesman for National Grid. "It's one of the most foolhardy actions you can take. It's foolish for someone to grab hold of a ground wire and start cutting away with a metal device or tool. It's inviting injury and could be fatal."

A rude awakening
A 20-year-old woman called Portsmouth Police after she woke up to a face full of vodka. She and her female roommate apparently had a fight earlier that day, and she claimed the roommate threw a cup full of vodka in her face while she was sleeping.

Drunk driving with kids in the car
A 49-year-old East Providence woman was arrested after allegedly driving her car through the backyard of a Barrington home, getting stuck in the mud, then screaming at police officers who came to the scene and passing out in front of them. All this happened a little after 2 a.m., and the woman had two young boys, ages 6 and 7, in the car.

Police launch manhunt for male streaker
Police in Attleboro and Norton set up a perimeter to catch a man spotted running naked through his neighborhood. He was seen running in the buff at about 1:30 in the afternoon. Police attempted to catch him but he got away on foot, and they later changed the search to look for a man dressed all in black. He continued to elude police for the rest of the day, but the 19-year-old Attleboro man later turned himself in at the police station.

Police seize Oxy, pot, cash and guns
Police officers in Tiverton and Little Compton worked together to investigate and arrest a pair of 24-year-olds who were living together in Tiverton. When they searched the home where the man and woman were living, they found approximately 300 oxycodone and suboxone pills, 167 grams of marijuana, $5,802 in cash and several firearms. They estimated the value of the seized drugs in excess of $10,000 and arrested the pair for distribution of drugs.

Where there’s smoke …
A 23-year-old East Greenwich man was caught in the act when a North Kingstown police cruiser pulled up to his car, the only vehicle in a bar’s parking lot a little after midnight. When the driver rolled down his window, the officer saw “a large amount of white smoke,” smelled pot and saw a smoking pipe in the center console. The driver admitted that he and his passenger had been smoking, and he was arrested for possession of marijuana.

Tickling leads to trouble
A 22-year-old Warwick man was cited by East Greenwich police officers after they watched his car swerving in the road. After he was pulled over, the man said he swerved because his girlfriend had been tickling him. There were three other people in the car and all had been drinking, so police cited the driver for having a suspended license and had the car towed from the scene.