Police Catch Alleged Burglar in the Act Thanks to Alert Neighbor

A 53-year-old Providence man is being held as a probation violator after he allegedly got caught trying to break into houses on Newmarket Street.

Cranston Police said that around 10:00 a.m. Friday morning, an alert neighbor on New Market Street saw a black man walking between houses trying to open doors.

"Cranston Officers immediately flooded the area and when the suspect spotted police, he took off running through yards toward Holburn Avenue," said Cranston Police Major Robert W. Ryan in a release.

Police set up a perimeter around one city block and began a house-to-house search. They found Eugene Robinson of 656 Elmwood Ave., Providence, hiding in a shed behind a house on Holburn Avenue.

He was taken into custody without incident.

Investigators concluded that Robinson broke out the window and screen of the shed to get inside. That let police charge him with malicious damage to property.

Robinson is being held as a probation violator at the Adult Correctional Institutions stemming from an earlier breaking and entering charge.

Police rely on alert neighbors who spot suspicious activity and routinely catch criminals as a result of their calls. 

Police also remind residents to keep their doors locked.