Woman Tracks Her Stolen Car After Friend Heists It to "Lay Low"

Jessica Benjamin, 36, was out with friends on Main Street at about 4:30 p.m. Aug. 9 when she saw her friend, Caitlin Eileen Haley, 20, of 44 Winter St., Apt. 1, Franklin, MA drive Benjamin's gray Hyundai Elantra past. 

Spotting her friend and her car piqued Benjamin's interest, since she'd last seen the two together when she'd left Haley with her car after it ran out of gas that morning. She'd returned with the gas, and found both Elantra and Haley gone, according to Officer Scott Breguet's report.

Benjamin made several attempts to reach Haley and have the car returned, she said, according to Breguet's report. When Benjamin reached Haley, she told her she needed to 'lay low' because Burrillville Police were looking for her. 

After spotting Haley and her car, Benjamin and a friend drove to 126 Social St., where she said she knew Haley sometimes spent time. At about 5 p.m., Benjamin said, she saw Haley and a man drive past in her car again. This time, Benjamin called the Woonsocket Police.

Officers Scott Breguet and Timothy Greene responded to 126 Earle Street, arriving at the address at the same time. Breguet saw a man half in and half out of a car's driver's side door, whom he recognized as Victor Losanno, 30, with no permanent address, and arrested him. The officers found a crack pipe, a bag of needles, and several empty glassine baggies on Losanno's person.  Inside the car, they found an IBM Lenovo laptop, as well as several more baggies and needles, an Acer Laptop and Ipad. The electronics were later determined to be from a larceny in Burrillville, in which Haley was a suspect. 

During the officers' search of Losanno and the car, three more officers arrived and entered 126 Earle St., arresting Haley inside. Haley was escorted from the building struggling and uttering profanities at the officers while asserting her innocence. 

Losanno was charged with possession of stolen goods. Haley was charged with receiving stolen goods, a felony, motor vehicle theft (less than $1,500), a misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.