Red Bull Bandit Allegedly Hides Drugs in Skin Fold

Middletown police arrested Craig Kelly, 28, on Friday, March 8, around 4:45 p.m. on charges of being a fugitive from justice, two bench warrants, obstructing an officer and felony drug possession.

Kelly was also wanted by Portsmouth police for shoplifting Red Bull four-packs from CVS Pharmacy. He had been previously charged in similar Red Bull thefts in at least two other Rhode Island communities, Bristol and Barrington.

Middletown police pulled over a car on Aquidneck Avenue because the driver was not wearing a seatbelt and did have the headlights illuminated.   Kelly, the passenger, reportedly said he did not have identification but that his name was Anthony Santagata. 

A cross agency check on the name returned an alias of Craig Kelly, who had active bench warrants for the Red Bull thefts.

Police said his tattoos matched the identify of Craig Kelly. Although he was asked several times to provide his real name, he maintained his name was Santagata, reported police.  Once arrested he told police he was in fact Craig Kelly.  

When he sat down for questioning at the station, a wallet reportedly fell out of his stomach area.  An officer lifted his shirt and saw a large section of fatty skin folded over his stomach. 

The officer lifted the section and found a plastic syringe bag with a used syringe and a spoon with residue that later tested positive of cocaine.  A strip search confirmed Kelly had nothing else on him.  

Police found an identification with the name of Craig Kelly in his wallet.  Kelly was charged by Portsmouth police on Monday, March 11 in Second District Court on the shoplifting charge. According to state records, Kelly also has a pending felony shoplifting charge out of the Cranston Police Department.