JOHNSTON, R.I. — A 46-year-old man has been arrested after three town-owned snowplows were stolen from a municipal facility in Johnston, police said.
According to the Johnston Police Department, officers responded around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to Johnston War Memorial Park on Hartford Avenue after Parks and Recreation employees reported the plows missing from a department building.
Surveillance footage showed a white Chevrolet Silverado arriving at the location shortly after 1 a.m. Police said two men dressed in dark clothing attached one snowplow to the truck and drove away at approximately 1:04 a.m. The suspects returned around 1:49 a.m. to take a second plow and came back again at 2:42 a.m. to remove the third.
Investigators later received information that the suspect vehicle was parked at a residence on Jasmine Lane with a plow still attached. Officers located the truck in the driveway of 10 Jasmine Lane and arrested Joseph Macari at the scene.
Police executed a court-authorized search warrant at the residence and found the remaining two stolen snowplows inside the garage.
“These snowplows are critical town equipment,” Johnston Police Chief Mark Viera said. “They’re relied upon to ensure public safety during snow removal operations, so it was a top priority to recover them quickly.”
Macari is charged with three felony counts of receiving stolen goods. He is scheduled to appear for a pre-arraignment conference on May 18.
Authorities said the recovered snowplows are expected to be back in service before the next snowfall.
