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Walmart Thief Sentenced to Prison

Bristol County District Attorney’s Office
Thomas M. Quinn III
District Attorney

Press Release
January 11, 2022
 
 
 
A 38-year-old Providence, RI man was convicted last month of stealing large flat screen televisions from Walmarts in Seekonk and North Attleboro, threatening a store manager with a knife and driving recklessly on Route 195, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas m. Quinn III announced.
 
Luis Adorno pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court on December 21 to indictments charging him with armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, operating a motor vehicle to endanger, larceny and unlawful removal of an anti-theft device.
 
On July 5, 2019, the defendant was confronted inside the Walmart in North Attleboro and was asked to produce a receipt for a 43-inch television he was carting out of the store.  The defendant refused, removed the theft detection device and fled the store.  The defendant came back to the same Walmart of July 7, 2019 and stole two 55-inch televisions.
 
Then, on July 8, 2019, a Walmart manager in Seekonk told police that he confronted this defendant as he was in the process of stealing a 55-inch television.  Once confronted, the defendant pulled a knife and said, “Come at me.”  The manager allowed the defendant to load the television into his vehicle, but recorded the event on his cell phone.  As the defendant was fleeing in his vehicle, he attempted to strike the manager.
 
On July 9, 2019 a Swansea Police officer spotted the defendant driving his Honda Element on Route 6.  When the officer attempted to stop the defendant’s vehicle, the defendant gave the officer the middle finger and then drove directly at the police cruiser, missing it by inches.  The defendant then drove over a media and began driving at 100 MPH towards the Rhode Island border.  The defendant was swerving in and out of traffic during rush hour and drove fort a distance in the breakdown lane.  The police chase was cut off near the Rhode Island border for safety reasons.
 
The defendant was eventually arrested in Rhode Island after committing similar offenses in that state.
 
Judge Raffi Yessayam sentenced the defendant to serve three to four years in state prison, to b followeby two years of probation.
 
The case was prosecuted by Co-First Assistant District Attorney Karen O’Sullivan and Assistant District Attorney Jeanne Veenstra.
 
“The defendant is a threat to public safety with a history of committing serious crimes,” District Attorney Quinn said. “A state prison sentence was warranted.”
Contact:
Gregg Miliote
Director of Communications
774-292-9576