Police Make Arrest In Connection With Blackbird Farms Break-In

SMITHFIELD, RI — Police arrested a Providence man over the weekend in connection with a break-in at a Springfield Farm earlier this summer. On Saturday, 36-year-old Andy Alicea was charged with breaking and entering.

On June 25, a break-in was reported at Blackbird Farm at 660 Douglas Pike. Surveillance video showed two men inside the farm stand the night before, who stole a large amount of frozen meat, totaling approximately $12,000. The video also showed the two suspects speaking on a cell phone with a third person outside.

Photos and videos of the burglary were posted across social media, leading to the public identifying Alicea as one of the men, police said. On Saturday, the Smithfield Police Department, in collaboration with the Providence Police Department, found Alicea in Providence and took him into custody. The next day, he was arraigned before a bail commissioner and charged with breaking and entering, then ordered held at the Adult Correctional Institution in Cranston on probation violations from previous charges.

Police are still looking to identify other suspects in connection with the break-in. Anyone with any information about the case is encouraged to call Smithfield police detectives at 401-231-2500.