Police Log: Former Cole Secretary Charged w/Embezzling $2,200

by | Feb 7, 2021

Monday, Jan. 25

8:15 a.m. A man found a wallet containing $56 and some loose change in the middle of James H. Eldredge Elementary School’s field. There were no IDs or credit cards in the wallet, so the owner could not be identified. Police will hold on to the wallet until they find the owner.

11 a.m. – Police cited a Cranston woman for driving a pickup truck without registration and showing police registration that came back for another car and had been cancelled. She was stopped on First Avenue because police saw her holding her cell phone in her hand and appearing to be texting. She told police she was using the phone for GPS. Police had the truck towed and seized the plates; they gave a court summons and a warning on the cell phone use.

11:02 a.m. – Police arrested Monika Nixon, 47, of Johnston, on three felony charges of embezzling $2,200 from a Cole Middle School bank account while she was working at the school as an administrative assistant. School officials told police the woman had withdrawn $1,200 from the Citizen’s Bank account at a branch in Johnston in early October, days after she left her position. The woman had been issued a debit car for the account, which apparently was not supposed to happen. She was employed at the school for less than a year, leaving Sept. 30. The thefts were discovered in October when new Cole principal David Tober went to the bank to change the name on the account. Upon further investigation, officials found a questionable $500 cash withdrawal from a Smithfield ATM in late 2019. The woman told police she’d left on Sept. 30 with checks totaling $3,190.07 and she got out $1,200 when she made the deposit. She also admitted to two $500 cash withdrawals during her 11-month tenure at the school. She said she needed the money because she’d been threatened by an abusive former boyfriend. She also admitted to taking $116.24 worth of items that had been purchased by the district for her desk. Auditors had confirmed the thefts and said they could not find others but also said the assistant had dealt with large amounts of cash so making a full accounting was impossible. She was arraigned in District Court. 

4:20 p.m. – A man at Dave’s Marketplace on 1000 Division St. found an EGPD arrest report in a magazine he took from the stack at the store’s exit. The responding officer found two arrest reports folded and placed in front of two copies of the free So Rhode Island magazine. The officer took the reports.

Tuesday, Jan. 26

7:21 a.m. – Police transported 300 lbs. of “prescription drug take back drugs” to an incinerator in Preston, Conn. There was previously a delay in police departments accessing the facility partially due to COVID–19 procedures, hence the large amount of drugs disposed. 

10:42 a.m. – An East Greenwich woman told police she’d received a call saying that a new iPhone would be delivered to a home in North Providence the next day. However, the woman had not purchased an iPhone recently, had no knowledge of any transaction and suspected that someone used her identity to buy the iPhone. The woman reported not sharing her credit card information and did not know anyone who lived at the North Providence address. Someone had used her credit card number to pay $940 for an iPhone. Apple told the woman that after filing a police report, she could receive a refund for the transaction.

1:29 p.m. – An East Greenwich woman currently in Florida reported numerous checks cashed in her name in New Hampshire and Albany, N.Y. She contacted the East Greenwich Citizens Bank branch and she was told to file a police report. However, the officer said East Greenwich has no jurisdiction on this matter; the bank will investigate. 

5:38 p.m. – A caller asked police to check on her daughter, who was not answering her phone. Police spoke with the daughter, who said she was fine, just didn’t want to talk to her mom.

7:05 p.m. – A caller told police there were drivers doing doughnuts in the shopping center parking lot at 1000 Division St., coming close to parked cars. Police did not find any doughnut-making drivers.

7:44 p.m. – A Seasons Market (South County Trail) employee told police an elderly man was there and said he had been driving around lost for the past three hours. Police contacted the man’s son, who arrived to accompany him home.

8:01 p.m. – A caller on Main Street told police his passenger was angry and trying to grab the steering wheel. The passenger went to a friend’s house for the night. 

Wednesday, Jan. 27

1:53 p.m. – The owner of West Bay Laundromat told police a customer was refusing to wear a face mask in the building. The customer said he was a disabled veteran whose medical conditions prevented him from wearing a mask. The owner said the man was acting unruly; police described the customer in their report as “loud and argumentative.” Police told the man that since the laundromat was a private business, it could make rules regarding entry. However, the customer said he would contact his lawyer. The owner then had a No Trespass order put in place for the customer, but the customer refused to sign the form. The customer left the scene without further incident.

Thursday, Jan. 28

6:52 p.m. – Police cited a Providence man, 25, for driving with a suspended license after he was pulled over on Post Road in Warwick for going 40 mph in a 25 mph zone on Main Street. Police also noted all the car windows were tinted. Routine checks turned up the license suspension. Police gave him a court summons for the license along with a warning regarding tinted windows and speeding. The driver’s brother arrived; he took custody of the vehicle and drove him back to his home.

Saturday, Jan. 30

10:22 p.m. Police told a resident of King Street to clean up glass that had fallen from her second floor apartment after a caller told them someone was throwing bottles out the window. The woman said that she was not throwing glass onto the street, but the window panes broke she tried to open the window. She said more glass fell onto the sidewalk accidentally while she was cleaning up. Police told her to pick up the glass immediately, and warned her not to let any more glass fall onto the sidewalk. 

Sunday, Jan. 31

7:34 p.m. – A caller told police a woman was driving erratically near Playground Prep Childcare Center on Division Road. Police found that the driver was tired and had difficulty driving. A friend was contacted to drive her home.

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