Warren man chases and films larceny suspect, police arrest two

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An alert resident armed with a cell phone and good memory helped lead to the arrest of two people suspected of larceny and attempted larceny around the School and Washington street areas earlier this week. Warren police on Monday afternoon arrested Kerrianne Bettencourt, 40, of Fall River and Antonio Toste, 49, homeless, after a resident on School Street allegedly saw Ms. Bettencourt in a neighbor’s car, confronted her and gave chase when fled.
It all began Saturday, when police received a call about a man and women rummaging through residents’ yards in the School Street area. Lt. Roy Borges said the pair told neighbors who asked what they were doing that they were in the neighborhood giving estimates on roofing jobs. When police arrived, the two had already fled.
Later that weekend, a School Street woman reported her purse missing from her home.
On Monday, an alert neighbor saw the woman in the area again, sitting in a car owned by the woman whose purse had been reported stolen.
Pulling out his cell phone and hitting “record” on the video camera, the man confronted her and kept filming as she got out of the car and headed up Washington Street, past Rod’s Grille, and turned south onto Main Street.
As the man flagged down a cruiser in front of the old Handkerchief Factory, the woman yelled out, “This man just tried to rape me! He just tried to have sex with me!”
Laughing, he replied, “I’m gay, honey,” while continuing to film.
Police pulled up seconds later, talked to the woman and Lt. Brule and Officer Mike Ferriera took her into custody. Mr. Toste was discovered by police on Lyndon Street, and was also taken into custody.
Lt. Borges said that the two later gave police information which led to the recovery of the woman’s missing purse, which had been thrown into a drainage culvert near Del’s Lemonade on Child Street.
Lt. Borges said that at the time of her arrest, Ms. Bettencourt was out on bail for allegedly stealing multiple air conditioners from Shaw’s Supermarket in Barrington, and on a possession of cocaine charge. Her companion, Mr. Toste, was also out on bail on a possession of cocaine charge.
Lt. Borges said Ms. Bettencourt was charged with breaking and entering, conspiracy to commit breaking and entering and attempted larceny. Mr. Toste was charged with conspiracy to commit breaking and entering.
Lt. Brule said police gave no credence to Ms. Bettencourt’s claim that the man filming her had attempted to rape her.

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.