Police Log

FAST FOOD FOLLIES

Eating fast food may make one sleepy, but it wasn’t a Big Mac that made one driver pass out at a McDonald’s drive through speaker.

On September 16, just before 8:30 p.m., Officer Manuel Pacheco and other members of the police department responded to the Warwick Avenue McDonald’s to check on a potential emergency. A store employee called in a report that a man in a blue van had passed out.

Arriving at the scene, Officer Pacheco located the vehicle at the drive through ordering station, with several cars backed up behind it and no vehicles in front of it. According to his report, the officer made contact and found that the vehicle was running and in drive, with the driver conscious in his seat but with his head down. Also on scene was a store employee who was standing outside the vehicle, who told the officer the man was now responsive.

Later identified as Jason Leone, 45, of 130 Chapel Street, Block Island, the driver told the officer that he was just tired. When asked, he denied that he had consumed any alcohol or drugs and that he was hungry. Leone was asked to place the car in park, but the vehicle then started to move forward. He again was asked to put the car in park and exit the vehicle, but it continued to roll.

Officer Pacheco reached in the driver’s side window and placed the vehicle in park to avoid an accident. He then opened the door and asked Leone to step out, only to see the driver look away and appeared to put his hands down low as if to grab something. The officer immediately instructed Leone to show his hands, and then grabbed hold of his hands and extracted him from the vehicle.

Leone then pulled away and said he was “okay” before attempting to put his hands in his pockets, at which time he was advised to turn around. Leone was non-responsive to instructions, and the officer physically turned him around, gained control of his hands and conducted a Terry pat for his safety.

Other officers then searched the vehicle to find open beer cans that had spilled and small bottles of alcohol commonly referred to as nips. A small black hideaway key storage container was found, containing pills later identified to be Oxycodone, which Leone stated were not his but a friend’s named “Joe.” 

An eight-inch knife in a sheath was also found on the floor next to a utility razor blade, and it was noted that the truck was a glass repair working truck as Leone is a glassworker.

Leone was escorted away from the drive-through line and his vehicle was moved so the restaurant could continue to operate. The driver told officers that he had taken the Martha’s Vineyard ferry and was going to a family member’s house down the street.

Officer Pacheco detected the odor of alcohol emanating from Leone, which he again denied drinking, and also observed the subject had bloodshot and watery eyes. Leone did admit to taking a pain relaxer that he got from a friend and did not have a prescription for it. He was asked to submit to a series of standardized sobriety tests, which he agreed to.

As a result of that investigation, and based on the experience of Officer Pacheco, it was determined that he was unfit to safely operate a motor vehicle, was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, and taken to police headquarters. There, he refused to take a chemical breathalyzer test.

Leone was issued violations for driving under the influence, first offense, and for refusal to submit to a chemical test. He then waited for the arrival of the bail commissioner for possession of schedule I-V controlled substance.

OUTSTANDING WARRANT

An argument outside the Post Road Cumberland Farms led to the arrest of a man for an outstanding warrant.

Just prior to 10 p.m. on September 17, Officer David Boardman was dispatched to the store after a report came in of a man and woman arguing in a vehicle parked in the lot. Upon arrival, the officer observed three occupants in the car and obtained identification from all.

Background checks on the back seat passenger, identified as Michael Scully, 44, of 134 Waterman Avenue in Cranston, revealed that he had a bench warrant outstanding for failure to appear.

A search of his person revealed two unopened Suboxone strips in his wallet. Scully stated that prior to the officer’s arrival he had taken another strip.

The strips were tagged for destruction and placed into evidence. Scully was handcuffed and placed in the rear of the cruiser, transported to headquarters, booked and processed. He was later transported to the ACI.

LARCENY

On September 18 around noon, Officer Joseph DeDonato responded to a call from a Tilden Avenue resident in reference to a larceny from a vehicle.

At the scene, the victim stated that sometime during the overnight hours someone broke into his work van parked on the street in front of his house and that the rear of the vehicle had remained unlocked.

The victim told the officer that he was missing a Dewalt cordless sawzall, two Dewalt cordless drills with batteries and chargers, a Dewalt diamond blade, and a Porter Cable cordless skill saw. Total value of the missing items was approximately $700.

While there are currently no witnesses or suspects, the victim would like to press charges should a subject be located. It should be noted that this was the second larceny on Tilden Avenue on this date.

DISORDERLY CONDUCT

A suspect who recently had a few run-ins with the Warwick Police was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Detective Shaun Turcotte was working the Motel 6 security detail on Jefferson Boulevard on September 23 around 11:30 p.m. when he was requested by the front desk to respond to the area of room 102.

There he was met by several women, who indicated that a man near room 113 had been harassing them and making derogatory comments about not having marijuana to offer him. The witnesses described the suspect as a young white male who appeared to be intoxicated and continued to inquire about the marijuana, stating numerous times that “you Indians all smoke pot” and “all Indians possess marijuana,” which the witnesses state they did not have nor consume.

Detective Turcotte made contact with the man, who was identified as Freeman Huntington, 28, of 24 Old Homestead in Groton, Mass. This subject had already been spoken to earlier in the evening because he was in the hotel parking lot drinking a 40-ounce beer in a parked car. The subject had stated he would return to his room and there would be no further problems.

Upon meeting with Huntington again, he became uncooperative as he did not feel his questions to the women were a problem or harassing. He was then asked if he had anyone on site that could take custody of him and answered that he did not. He was unsteady on his feet and continued to be belligerent and uncooperative.

A request by the detective was then made to send a uniformed police officer to the scene for a detox transport. When the transport arrived and Huntington was being escorted out, he began to resist, indicating he would decide where he was going and that he would not go to the hospital. He was advised that, because he had no one to care for him in an intoxicated state, he would be transported and released when sober. He was then handcuffed as he began to tense up and continued acting belligerent.

As he was being escorted, he fell several times and then tried to push off the transport with his feet and fell again. He then began to forcefully resist, kicking the transport’s doors and windows, preventing officers from securing him.

He was then advised that if he continued to resist he would be pepper-sprayed. He continued to struggle against the officers’ orders, and Detective Turcotte initiated one chemical spray into the individual’s face. At that point, Huntington began to cooperate.

The police report indicates that Huntington was allowed fresh air, and there were no immediate health issues other than complaints of eye irritation. Huntington was then transported to police department headquarters for processing with a misdemeanor for disorderly conduct.