Police Log - Suspicious Bulges

Posted 7/11/17

WRONG DRIVER FOR THE GOLF COURSE

Officers Matthew Smith and Damian Andrews were dispatched to Harbor Lights Marina & Country Club on Gray Street for a report of a suspect possibly drunk …

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Police Log - Suspicious Bulges

Posted

WRONG DRIVER FOR THE GOLF COURSE

Officers Matthew Smith and Damian Andrews were dispatched to Harbor Lights Marina & Country Club on Gray Street for a report of a suspect possibly drunk driving. Dispatch advised the officers that an intoxicated wedding guest began assaulting others and was being held by multiple staff members.

At the scene, the officers observed a red Ford F-150 truck that had its front and rear bumpers wedged in between two hills surrounding a drainage ditch on the golf course just off Gray Street. According to their report, officers also observed a large group of people holding down a subject on the hill. Several people told the officers that the man, later identified as James Johnson, 50, of 223 Providence Street in West Warwick, appeared to be intoxicated and that he had been driving on the golf course causing damage. The incident followed an apparent altercation at the end of the wedding that had escalated.

Witnesses also stated that Johnson has struck a Harbor Lights bartender in the face with his fist and was acting violently by punching, kicking, and attempting to bite staff members.

Johnson told officers that he was attacked by “all these young punks” and that he was driving on the golf course only to turn around. For safety, Johnson was taken into custody and placed in the police cruiser. While escorting him to the vehicle, officers detected a strong smell of alcohol and observed signs that Johnson was intoxicated.

Johnson stated he had approximately three to four drinks and was not drunk. Officers then observed a trail of tire marks several hundred feet long on the golf course, ending at Johnson’s vehicle. Witnesses told officers that Johnson and a woman passenger were seen driving on the course, and several staff members approached the vehicle to see what was going on. When the truck stopped, Johnson charged at the staff and punched one on the left side of his face before the group restrained the suspect. The female passenger fled before officers arrived. Staff also told the officers that there was video surveillance of the incident.

Johnson was then asked to partake in a series of standardized sobriety tests. Based upon the incident, the officers’ interactions with Johnson, and their training, it was determined that he was unfit to safely operate a motor vehicle. He was then placed under arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence and transported to police headquarters. There, he refused to take a chemical breathalyzer test.

Based upon the events of the incident, Johnson was charged with driving under the influence, refusal to take a chemical test, simple assault, and two counts of vandalism/malicious injury to property. He was later released to a sober adult.

SEVENTH OFFENSE

While on routine patrol on West Shore Road near the Oakland Beach four corners intersection on June 30 around 6:30 p.m., Officer Jacob Elderkin observed a car traveling north with a driver who was not wearing a seatbelt.

Upon observing the violation, the officer ran a registration check and found that the license plate did not match the vehicle it was attached to. The officer then followed the car and initiated a traffic stop in front of Stop and Shop on Warwick Avenue.

There he made contact with the driver, identified as John Darosa, 27, of 83 Sterling Avenue in Providence. When asked for his license, Darosa stated it was suspended, and was also unable to provide any paperwork for the vehicle. He told the officer that he had just picked up the vehicle from an impound lot after it was towed as a result of him having a suspended license.

Background checks were then conducted, where it was discovered that Darosa had been convicted of driving without a license on approximately six prior occasions, making this incident his seventh. He was then removed from the vehicle and taken into custody before being transported to police headquarters as his car was towed.

Darosa was charged with driving on a suspended license, third and subsequent offense. He also received citations for improper use of registration and for not wearing a seat belt.  As he was on probation for charges out of Superior Court, a decision was made to hold Darosa on a probation violation.

SECOND TIME STOLEN

On June 20 at approximately 6 a.m., Officer Jeremy Smith responded to Falcon Avenue for a report of stolen tires and rims.

At the scene he met with the complainant, who stated that he had parked his Honda Accord at the residence the previous evening. The next morning he received a call from his neighbor that the car’s wheels had been stolen. He estimated the value of the tires and rims at a total of $4,000.

The officer observed that the car was left perched on two concrete blocks with the front end resting on the ground and lug nuts left in the driveway. There were no witnesses or available security footage. The victim told the officer that this was the second time in the past year that his tires and rims had been stolen, with the previous theft occurring in Cranston.

The report and case were forwarded to department detectives for further investigation.

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