NORTH SMITHFIELD – A 50-year-old Woonsocket woman told police that she intended to return the cell phone she took from the bathroom at CVS until her daughter removed the SIM card.
Now, both are facing charges after a Facebook post helped the victim identify the suspects.
Dawn Marie Benoit, 50, and her daughter Jennifer Cinq Mars, 28, of Woonsocket were arrested by North Smithfield police after turning themselves in for the crime late last month.
According to reports, the pair visited Dowling Village CVS, and Benoit spotted an iPhone 11 sitting on top of a trash can while in the bathroom. She grabbed the phone and left the store.
Benoit later told police Cinq Mars removed the SIM card after they returned home, even though she told her not to, saying she intended to return the device.
The phone belonged to an employee at the store, who watched security footage of Benoit entering the bathroom after her, and then leaving the store with Cinq Mars. A picture of the pair was posted on social media, and others helped to identify the suspects.
Benoit and Cinq Mars saw the Facebook post, and by the time police called them, they had returned the phone to the store, although the SIM card was missing.
Benoit has been charged with larceny and Cinq Mars was charged with receiving stolen goods. Both are scheduled to appear in 3rd District Court on June 25.