Ice pick-pockets make away with toiletries

BROOKLINE—Three Boston women, one armed with an ice pick, were arrested for shoplifting several bags of merchandise from the Coolidge Corner CVS/Pharmacy yesterday morning, Brookline police said.


Frinzetta Thomas, 49, of Matappan, Cynthia Shepard, 45, of Boston and Arlene Wells, 40, of Dorchester were identified by a surveillance photo in which they were stealing 33 items valuing $243.52 from the pharmacy at 294 Harvard Street, according to a police report filed by Brookline Officer Morgan Lee.

The CVS store manager called the police after viewing camera footage of what the manager thought was a black male and two black females leaving with stolen items, Lee said.

When Lee broadcast descriptions of the suspect, another officer heard and recalled seeing someone fitting one of the descriptions board a route 66 MBTA bus at Harvard/Marion Street. The officer broadcast to check for suspects matching the descriptions on all route 66 buses in the area near Brookline Village, according to Lee’s report.

Wells was originally thought to be a male, described as wearing a black jacket with a blue hood, wearing black pants and a black hat, according to the report. Shepard was described as a black female wearing a black jacket and a black hat with a white logo, “S3.” Thomas was described as a black female wearing a gray sweatshirt, a black leather coat, a headband and a shirt with a picture of President Barack Obama on it.

Det. Wagner stopped a route 66 bus, number 2277, at the Walnut/Boylston street stop. The report said Wegner entered the bus and saw two people matching the descriptions of Wells and Thomas, as well as a clear CVS bag under Thomas’ seat containing items from the store.

When Wells said Wagner looking at the bag, she said it belonged to Thomas. A passenger on the bus pointed out Shepard as another possible suspect, and Wagner removed the three women from the bus, said Lee.

The three suspects were identified at the scene as the shoplifters from the surveillance photo and arrested between 11:16 a.m. and 12:26 p.m. They had several bags of CVS hygiene products with them, said the report.

When Officer Hingston handcuffed Wells, she felt an object in her left inside coat pocket. When Hingston discovered the object was a homemade crack pipe, Wells attempted to kick the officer, Lee said.

Wells, who lives at 43 Devon St., Dorchester, also had a 10-inch ice pick in her purse, which was seized for evidence, the report said. She was charged with shoplifting, a warrant for failure to appear in court, possession of heroin, carrying an unlawful weapon and assaulting a police officer, Lee said. She had five guilty counts of shoplifting on her criminal record.

Shepard, who works at Madison High School on Washington Street in Boston, was carrying a glass pipe, a hypodermic needle and a contaminated spoon in her purse, the report said. She was charged with shoplifting, possession of heroine and four warrants for failure to appear, according to the report.

Thomas, who lives at 22 West Selden St., was charged with shoplifting, Lee said.

The personal items were sent to a lab for analysis, and the stolen items were returned to CVS, according to Lee’s report.