3 Teens, 1 Juvenile Busted after Larceny and Vandalism Spree

Cranston Police arrested three young men who they say were engaged in a crime spree that included the thefts of thousands of dollars worth of goods, rummaging through cars, vandalizing Cranston High School West and ended with a chase that included a muddy swamp. 

Kevin Wulff, 18, of 30 Lawrence St.; Paul Hallam, 18, of 59 Pershing St., Jason Brissette, 18, of 20 Delway Road; and a 16-year-old juvenile are now facing charges of receiving stolen goods, conspiracy to commit larceny and other charges after they were rounded by up officers who began the night anticipating the crime spree thanks to crime mapping at police headquarters.


It all started around 3:45 a.m. Thursday morning when Officer Bretton Robbins was at the Chateau Royale Apartments on Oaklawn Avenue on patrol. Police have responded to numerous reports of thefts of wheels and tires from cars at similar apartment complexes, so Robbins was there as part of a "directed patrol initiative that was formulated as a result of crime mapping and identifying areas where criminal activity was occurring and was likely to occur," said Cranston Police Major Robert W. Ryan.

Sure enough, when Robbins crept into the parking lot, he saw what looked like the silhouette of a person crouched in the wooded area to the side of the parking lot next to Mansion House Apartments.

Robbins shined his flashlight on the person who froze at first and then took off running across Oaklawn Avenue.

The person, later identified as Wulff, was carrying a large black gym bag filled with bottles of liquor as he ran. Additional officers arrived to help give chase and Wulff was taken down after a "violent struggle," Ryan said. During the struggle, the gym bag hit the ground, smashing the liquor bottles inside.

Police soon found out they had just one of four suspects that have been breaking into cars throughout all of Meshanticut and West Hill plats. In some cases, the thefts have included rims and tires from cars that the suspects left on blocks.

A few minutes later, police got a call reporting suspicious activity near 71 Elmhurst Ave., which isn't far from where Wulff was busted.

Officer Patrick O'Malley arrived and he saw two hooded figures running down Grape Street toward Preston Avenue. O'Malley quickly captured the 16-year-old and put him into custody. The other suspect, identified as Hallam, kept running into a wooded area down an embankment behind a house on Preston Avenue.

Officers Bretton Robbins and Justin Rutkiewitcz were searching the wooded area when they found Hallam hiding under debris in a swampy area where he "had managed to submerge himself in the swamp and mud in an attempt to hide," Ryan said. 

Hallam was pulled from the swamp — along with his backpack full of stolen goods.

The fourth suspect — Brisette — was picked up with the help of School Resource Officer Matthew Davis at 20 Delway Road. Police said Brisette was carrying a knife at the time of his arrest and he had telltale signs of being involved with his friends: mud on his boots.

Over the next few hours, officers began to find car after car that had been broken into along with stolen items that had been thrown by the fleeing suspects.

"In the hours that followed, officers spent a great deal of time trying to determine where the stolen items were taken and return the property to its rightful owners," Ryan said.

All told, the teens allegely stole from cars on Phenix, Preston and Wayland Avenues; West Hill Drive, Grape Street, Scotland Road and Midland Drive.

Police also said it appears they were involved in a house break on Preston Avenue, which remains under investigation.

Police counted about 30 cars had been rifled through and "that number is expected to increase as people discover they were victimized," Ryan said. 

The items stolen include laptops, sunglasses, a pair of shoes, a camera, six GPS units, a car stereo face, liquor, baseball caps, flashlights and about $350 cash. The estimated value of the property is about $5,000.

It doesn't stop there. Apparently, police said, the suspects found the time to vandalize the athletic complex at Cranston High School West, painting vulgarities and messages on signs, poles and even directly on the surface of the tennis courts. Two of the four reportedly admitted being responsible for the vandalism, police said.

More charges could be piling up, but for now, here's what they're looking at:

All four are facing multiple counts of receiving stolen goods and conspiracy to commit larceny.

Wulff is also facing charges of resisting arrest, assault on a police officer and disorderly conduct.

Brissette and Hallam are facing vandalism charges.

"The investigation into these incidents is ongoing, and additional charges against these individuals are likely," Ryan said. "Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of larceny is asked to contact the Cranston Police Detective Division."