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By MICHAEL SOUZA
NARRAGANSETT – Be careful who you agree to go with for lunch. This past Tuesday, police arrested a Central Falls man, Joseph Baskins, 38, of 184 Cottage St., on a warrant for stealing thousands of dollars from a Great Island woman who had gone out to lunch with the man’s cohort.
Baskins was charged with conspiracy to commit breaking and entering with felonious intent regarding the Dec. 18 theft on Great Island. Baskins was the third person related to the theft. On Jan. 21, Karen Pomfret, 42, of South Attleboro, Mass., was arrested on a warrant and charged with conspiracy to commit breaking and entering with felonious intent. Also arrested was Sheila Burgess, 45, of Pawtucket. She was charged on Jan. 23 with two counts of larceny over $500, and also charged with conspiracy to commit breaking and entering with felonious intent. Pomfret was released on $3,000 surety bail with a felony screening on Feb. 22. Burgess was released personal recognizance bail with a felony screen-ing date of Feb. 19. The three were arrested after six weeks of investigation by town detectives. The theft occurred around noon Dec. 18, when a resident, a sister and her friend left a Great Island residence for a quick lunch. On arriving home less than an hour later, the tenant realized a significant amount of cash was missing. “We knew right then one of the people that went out was involved. The timing was too perfect. That made us suspicious of the people accompanying the victim,” said Detective Lt. William McGovern. “The friend of the victim’s sister was who we suspected. By that night we approached Burgess in Pawtucket, where we recovered $4,000. She admitted to being involved in the theft,” said McGovern. Burgess also admitted she had taken money from the house in November. The investigation revealed Burgess knew the house contained a large sum of money. She then told Pomfret, who recommended Baskins to commit the theft. Once the victim was at lunch, it was easy for Baskins to break in during the middle of the day while Burgess accompanied the victim, ready to sound the alarm. “This wasn’t a simple robbery. These guys cased the house for months. They had it under sur-veillance. They knew exactly what to do and when to do it,” said McGovern. He was released on $30,000 personal recognizance. A felony screening will be held Feb. 22.
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