Two men charged with attempted motel break-ins
WOONSOCKET – Two men were caught in the act Wednesday as they were allegedly attempting to break into rooms at the Woonsocket Motor Inn while renters were asleep inside, police said.
Christian Luis Nieves, 32, of no permanent address, and Tristan E. Breton, 22, of 96 Burnside Ave., were charged with two counts each of breaking and entering. Nieves was also charged with possession of cocaine and Breton with resisting arrest.
Officers said they were summoned to the 333 Clinton St. motel – across the street from police station – by a motel employee who said two men were outside
the building, attempting to pry open the windows to rooms No. 117 and 119 shortly before 1 a.m. The motel worker said he was watching the attempted break in real time on the motel’s video surveillance monitors.
The men were using some type of pry bar that left visible damage on the metal window frames, police said. The same worker who reported the attempt- ed breaks told police a tire iron was missing from his truck, but investigators were unable to find it.
When police arrived at the scene, Nieves and Breton were milling about the rear grounds of the motel. The worker identified them as the same men he had seen on the surveillance monitors attempting to pry open the windows.
Police interviewed the tenants in both rooms allegedly targeted by Nieves and Breton, but neither had any idea anything unusual was going on.
“Both stated they were asleep during the event and did not notice anyone trying to break into their rooms,” Patrol Officer Daniel F. Wild said.
During a routine inventory of his belongings prior to booking, police said they found a clear glassine bag containing less than a gram of cocaine among Nieves’ possessions.
Following a preliminary appearance in Sixth District Court on Thursday, both men were released on bail pending another hearing on May 9.