Crime & Safety

Clerk Powers Down Attempt to Sell Stolen Laptop

The following information was supplied by the Woonsocket Police Department. An arrest does not indicate a conviction:

Carlos Martinez, 39, of 26 Read Ave., Apt. 3, didn't succeed in selling a laptop Sept. 22, since his intended buyer had heard of a laptop matching its description had gone missing.

Woonsocket Police Officer Enrique Sosa, dispatched to Bargain Flea, 105 North Main St., to investigate a report of a man trying to sell a stolen laptop, drove by the man described in the report, later identified as Martinez. Sosa stopped him and asked him about the incident, and Martinez said he was trying to sell a laptop someone had given him, according to Sosa's report.

Back at Bargain Flea, the prospective buyer, George Fontaine, told Sosa he'd spoken to a woman earlier that day who had asked him to look out for her daughter's laptop, sporting a golf ball texture and flower decal, which had been stolen from her home the day before. When Martinez showed up trying to sell it, Fontaine turned him down and called police.

A call to the owner of the laptop confirmed the one Martinez was trying to sell was the one she was missing, as she provided information about an email address that would display on the screen when it was turned on.

Sosa arrested Martinez, and a search of his person revealed a paper bag with seven .22 caliber bullets and an unlabeled pill bottle with 42 pills of colozopan, a controlled substance.

Sosa charged Martinez with receiving stolen goods, a misdemeanor, and possession of a controlled substance, a felony. The laptop was returned to the owner. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.