Facebook helped police find woman who ‘forgot’ bottle of wine in purse

By THOMAS P. CALDWELL, LACONIA DAILY SUN

BELMONT — Lt. Richard Mann said that turning to social media for help gave the Belmont Police Department the lead it needed to arrest a woman who allegedly stole a bottle of wine from Penguin Fuels Mart on May 28.

“We had no idea who she was,” Mann said, “so we put it on our Facebook, which gave us a lead. We then worked with Hudson police to confirm her identity, and got a warrant.”

Kerri Wettergreen, 36, of 6 Teloian Drive, Hudson, said, when police caught up with her, that she simply forgot that she had put a bottle of wine into her purse while stopping at the store with her child.

Mann said the woman set the baby carrier on the floor while she put a bottle of wine into her purse. She then proceeded to make another purchase, and left the store without paying for the wine.

Wettergreen faces a charge of theft by unauthorized taking.

Other police activity includes the arrest of Amanda M. Kelly, 36, of 49 Overland St., Laconia, on June 19 after police stopped her for a defective brake light. The officer saw that the inspection sticker was not attached properly and, upon checking, determined it was from another vehicle.

After charging her with having a false inspection sticker and having the vehicle towed, an inventory of the vehicle showed it had drugs and drug paraphernalia, which preliminary testing indicated was opiates and methamphetamine. The drugs were sent to a state lab for further testing and she has been charged with possession of drugs and possession of controlled narcotic drugs.

Police have charged Ronald G. Hook II, 18, of 131 Young Road, Gilford, with drug possession after his vehicle drifted into the left lane, nearly striking a police cruiser, on June 17. He initially was charged with use of a mobile device while driving, but the arresting officer saw there was a quantity of prebagged marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the car. There was not enough of the drug to result in a charge of distribution, Mann said. Hook was released on $1,200 personal recognizance bail, with a court date of July 20.

Police charged Michael A. Guglielmo, 54, of 83 Bean Hill Road, Belmont, with the simple assault of a 36-year-old woman.

Mann said there has been a rash of thefts in what he termed “crimes of opportunity” — generally items that can be easily disposed of — from garages and outbuildings.

On June 21, police investigated two such crimes: a resident of Gardner’s Grove reported the theft of $1,155 in currency from a vehicle that he thought was locked but which had an unlocked passenger-side door; and the theft of a utility trailer valued at $500 from Coons Point.