Man swipes cell phone while waiting in police HQ lobby, gets caught

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Hamlett
Hamlett

MANCHESTER, NH – Manchester police didn’t have to look far Tuesday to solve a  stolen cell phone report.

Joshua Hamlett, 34, no fixed address, was arrested at the police station. He had been there, waiting in the police headquarters lobby, to meet with detectives on an unrelated matter when he allegedly spotted another man’s cell phone on a chair and stole it.

According to a police narrative, the theft took place in the front lobby of the Manchester Police Department at approximately 4 p.m., minutes before Detective Justin Mangum and Dan Whalen met with Hamlett on an unrelated matter.

Unbeknownst to detectives, Hamlett had already allegedly removed the cell phone from a chair in the front lobby as he waited. The cell phone owner, Bill LeBlanc, 39, of Manchester, had conducted business with the records division when his phone was taken from a chair. LeBlanc completed his business and left the police station before he realized his phone was missing. He returned to the police station to file a report.

Detectives quickly determined Hamlett was responsible for the theft and placed him into custody. In addition to LeBlanc’s Samsung Galaxy (valued at $500), police also found on Hamlett during a pre-arrest search a hypodermic needle, a burnt spoon and a Seroquel pill, which is a schedule 2 drug.

Hamlett was charged with theft of lost or mislaid property; falsification of physical evidence; possession of a controlled drug; and violation of bail. He was set to appear in the 9th Circuit Court-Manchester on December 9, 2015.

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!