Crime & Safety
Woonsocket Police Find Fugitive Cloistered in Cabinet
The following arrest information was provided by the Woonsocket Police Department. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.
On Aug. 26 at about 4:43 p.m., three Woonsocket Police officers searching for Jason Delbene, 29, visited 128 Social St., apt. 5, on a tip that his mother, Gloria, was helping him hide there.
The officers were searching for Delbene on charges of bank fraud between June 27 and July 6, using forged checks to steal $4,160 from Nautical Enterprises at 77 Hazel St. and $900 from Able Check Cashing.
They arrived, according to Officer Christopher Bouvier's report, and asked Gloria to let them speak with her inside the studio apartment. They asked if she'd seen Jason, to which she replied, "He's not here," according to Bouvier's report.
During the conversation, Bouvier noticed the cabinet door, which Gloria had sat in front of, was ajar, and a large lamp had been placed in front of it. Bouvier instructed Gloria to move from her seat and looked inside the cabinet, at first seeing a person's leg.
Bouvier opened the door the rest of the way, finding Jason sitting in the cabinet, and ordered him to come out. Jason ignored the officer, and as he reached in to remove the fugitive, a struggle ensued.
Gloria briefly attempted to hinder Bouvier as the other two officers helped him restrain Jason, eventually handcuffing him.
Bouvier arrested Jason, charging him with bank fraud, two counts of obtaining money under false pretenses, larceny under $1,500 and resisting arrest. He also arrested Gloria, charging her with obstructing an officer.
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