Rhode Island Criminal Defense Blog

Rhode Island Case: Owner of Top Political Nightspot Arrested Over Weekend

2012-01-30T10:02:00.000-08:00

**Contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com. Attorney Matthew T. Marin has experience handling cases statewide involving charges including drunk driving, chemical test refusal, and leaving the scene of an accident.**

VIA GoLocalProv.com

Dan McGowan, GoLocalProv News Editor

The 48-year-old man who was driving when his 21-year-old female passenger jumped out of the car onto I-95 over the weekend is the owner of Pearl Restaurant & Lounge, a Charles Street nightspot known for hosting various political fundraisers.

Joseph Aloisio was charged with driving under the influence and the woman, a Smithfield resident, died at the scene. State police are investigating the accident.

According to the police report, “troopers arrested Joseph M. Aloisio, age 48, of 3 Kiki Circle, Cranston, RI for 1.) Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol B.A.C. Unknown – 1st Offense, 2.) Chemical Test Refusal. This arrest was the result of an investigation into an incident on the Route 95 South at the Washington Street overpass. Aloisio was transported to the Lincoln Woods Barracks where he was processed and held overnight pending morning arraignment.”

Aloisio, who also owns a liquor store in Providence, is the former owner of MugShots, the Manton Ave. bar which closed in 2009 after two teenagers were killed in a car accident following a night of drinking at the establishment.

Bar Hosted Senate Dems Event Last Year

Pearl has hosted several political events over the years, including a $125 per-head Senate Democrats PAC event last May. The lounge also hosted a meet-and-greet in 2010 with Councilman Nick Narducci and Angel Taveras, who had just won the Democratic Primary for Mayor of Providence. Over the past decade, Aloisio himself has contributed thousands of dollars to former Mayor David Cicilline, various Council members, Secretary of State Ralph Mollis, former House Speaker William Murphy and former gubernatorial candidate Frank Caprio.

Last summer, GoLocalProv found that Pearl was violating a 2004 Consent Order agreed to between the lounge (formerly known as Club Confetti), a local neighborhood group and the Providence Board of Licenses. The agreement made it clear that the lounge was not allowed to operate as a nightclub, to have a DJ or to allow more than 75 patrons after 11 p.m., but Pearl was found to have advertised itself as club throughout the summer.

At one point, Pearl hosted a “7 Year Anniversary Party,” which featured Ronnie from the show Jersey Shore, also promoted a special guest appearance from a DJ known as DJ Head Honcho. At another event, hundreds of patrons turned out to meet adult film star Sasha Grey, who was also promoted as a guest DJ.

The agreement was reached after neighbors complained about underage drinking in the club. In a statement to GoLocalProv, Aloisio said the problems were in the past.

“The past is just that, [the] past,” he said in a statement to GoLocalProv. “Pearl restaurant & lounge has no interest in reliving it. Since 2004 we have continuously strived to remain good neighbors and a very big supporter of the entire community. We have consistently expanded our dining menu, made improvements to the restaurants interior and exterior, as well as held numerous charity fundraisers, special events, and community events. We feel strongly that over the last seven years of operations that our commitment to the community, our guests and team members show more than anything else we are not here to relive the past.”

Rhode Island Case: Women Charged For Multi-State Break-Ins

2012-01-25T06:44:00.000-08:00

Contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com. Attorney Matthew T. Marin has experience handling a variety of cases statewide in Rhode Island.

VIA East Bay RI.com

Two women arrested in connection to multiple break-ins in south Westport have aalso been charged in Little Compton with one break-in.

Tarisa Affonso, 20, of 37 Fairfield Ave., Tiverton, and Brea Goyette, 20, of Fall River, were taken into custody in Tiverton on Jan. 18 when their vehicle was spotted by an off-duty officer, according to Westport police.

Brea Goyette, 20, of Fall River, was arrested in connection to multiple break-ins in Westport, Mass., and one in Little Compton.

They were each subsequently charged in Little Compton with breaking and entering, larceny over $500, and conspiracy to commit a felony, according to Little Compton police.

The next afternoon, they turned themselves in to Westport police and were each charged with three counts of breaking and entering, two counts of larceny over $250, and conspiracy. Police are also investigating a break-in on Adamsville Road and charges are pending.

The break-ins in Westport, on Fisherville Lane, Old Harbor Road, and Pine Hill Road, all occurred between Jan. 11 and Jan. 18, police said. They are accused of stealing jewelry and electronics. Little Compton police said the items included an iPad and a small laptop computer, along with jewelry.

It was a burglar alarm in the Old Harbor Road home that started the chain of events that led to their arrest.

After responding to the scene, Westport police asked Tiverton and Little Compton police to be on the lookout for a gold colored four-door car with extensive driver’s side damage that had been seen at the home.

An off-duty Tiverton police officer spotted the car and notified other officers, who stopped the women on Main Road in Tiverton near Lafayette Street.

Both Westport and Little Compton police interviewed them.

Ms. Affonso was wearing jewelry reported stolen from the homes, police said. She also identified four homes that they had broken into.

They allegedly knocked on doors to see if anyone was home. If someone was home, they had a fake story about a lost dog, police said. If not, they would break into the house.

The girls told investigators that they had sold and pawned some of the stolen jewelry and identified stores in both Swansea and Fall River that they had done business with.

They may also face charges in those cities.

Westport police secured a warrant for Ms. Goyette’s Fall River apartment and a joint effort between officers from the Little Compton, Westport, and Fall River forces enacted a search of the premises.

During the search, investigators found several stolen items as well as a quantity of cocaine.

“The success of this investigation was possible because of the solid efforts from all of the law enforcement officers involved in this case,” said Westport Det. Sgt. Antonio Cestodio.

Police still have several confiscated items that are unclaimed. They encourage anyone with information to contact their local police department.

Det. Sgt. Cestodio stressed that the best deterrent to burglars is a functioning house alarm and properly locked doors.

Police are also investigating a possible male accomplice.

Rhode Island Drunk Driving Case: Man arrested on third DUI charge

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

VIA Turn to 10.com

West Greenwich, RI - A West Greenwich man is expected to be in court Monday to face his third charge of driving under the influence.

State police arrested and charged Richard Rutherford, 58, of West Greenwich after someone called 911 to tell police he was driving erratically.

Troopers stopped his truck and also found four children in the truck between the ages of 2 and 10.

Officials arraigned Rutherford at the State Police barracks and he was transferred to the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston. He was also cited for child restraint violations.

Police said Rutherford had previously been arrested in Iowa and Texas on related impaired driving charges.

Police said they called the Department of Children, Youth and Families, and the children were released to a family friend.

Rhode Island Drug Case: Rep. Watson arrested in South Kingstown, charged with possessing marijuana

2012-01-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

**Contact RI Drug Lawyer Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com. RI Marijuana Lawyer Matthew T. Marin has experience handling cases statewide involving charges including simple possession of marijuana, possession with intent to deliver marijuana, delivery of marijuana, and cultivation of marijuana.**

VIA The Providence Journal

By Jennifer D. Jordan

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- Former House Minority Leader Robert A. Watson was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with possession of marijuana after a plow operator called the South Kingstown police to report an erratic driver.

Watson, a Republican representative from East Greenwich, pleaded not guilty last year to charges of drunken driving and possession of marijuana stemming from an stop at a sobriety checkpoint in Connecticut; he is awaiting a trial date in that case.

Lt. William B. Buckley said that the police received the call at 11:53 p.m. Saturday. The plow operator was clearing snow in the parking lot of the Washington County Veterinary Hospital, 4263 Tower Hill Road, and told police "an intoxicated motorist was driving on a flat tire and almost struck him," Buckley said.

When the police arrived, they saw a white Volvo sedan in the lot, with its rubber tire missing from the rim on the front driver's side. The driver's side door was open and a man who identified himself as Robert Watson was standing beside it, according to the police. There were no passengers in the car.

"The officers observed what appeared to be a pipe commonly used to smoke marijuana on the driver's side floor of the Volvo," Buckley said. "The officers also discovered a clear sandwich bag containing a green, leafy substance believed to be marijuana in the area of the driver's seat."

Watson was brought to the South Kingstown Police Department for processing and was released at 4:20 a.m. Sunday, Buckley said, with a summons to appear in Fourth District Court at 9 a.m. on Feb. 2

Rhode Island Larceny Case: Barrington Police Charge E.P. Teen With Car Break-Ins

2012-01-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

Call Attorney Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com. Attorney Matthew T. Marin has experience handling a variety of cases statewide in Rhode Island.

VIA EastBayRI.com

Officials issue warrant for second teenager’s arrest

BARRINGTON — Barrington police charged Christopher S. Storti, 19, of 153 Worcester Ave., East Providence, with five counts of larceny under $500 for his alleged role in a string of thefts from motor vehicles.

On Tuesday, Jan. 10 at about 4:30 p.m., Mr. Storti turned himself in at the Barrington Police Department for the larcenies that took place in late December. Police officials also issued a warrant for the arrest of a 17-year-old Barrington boy who allegedly assisted Mr. Storti with the crimes.

On Dec. 28, an East Providence police officer reportedly saw a vehicle driven by Mr. Storti — the Barrington teen was a passenger — fail to stop at a stop sign; the officer ordered it over to the side of the road, and upon approaching the driver’s side window reportedly smelled the odor of burnt marijuana.

A subsequent search of Mr. Storti’s car and later a search of Mr. Storti’s home turned up nearly a dozen GPS units and other electronic devices linking the pair to larcenies in East Providence, Barrington and Seekonk.

East Providence police then arrested Mr. Storti and the 17-year-old Barrington boy.

On the same day as the arrest, Barrington police received 11 complaints for larcenies from vehicles. The incidents were believed to have occurred earlier that day or late Tuesday night, Dec. 27. A number of GPS units, a wallet, a purse and loose change was stolen from unlocked cars in the northern part of town, near the East Providence line. Barrington Police Chief John LaCross said the items recovered from Mr. Storti’s car and home were later traced back to the Barrington thefts.

George Morse contributed to this story.

Rhode Island Marijuana Cases: Police answer Craigslist ad for marijuana, arrest teen

2012-01-16T12:43:00.000-08:00

**RI Drug Lawyer Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com. RI Marijuana Lawyer Matthew T. Marin has experience handling cases statewide involving charges including simple possession of marijuana, possession with intent to deliver marijuana, delivery of marijuana, and cultivation of marijuana.**

VIA THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

JAMESTOWN -New to town, 18-year-old Jason Gardiner wanted to know where he could find some weed, according to the Jamestown police.

So, he posted an ad on Craigslist -- and got a response from the cops.

Jamestown Detective Derek Carlino wrote back, and Gardiner arranged to meet him to buy marijuana Sunday afternoon, according to a news release.

Gardiner, of 61 Spirketing St., was arrested at the meeting and charged with soliciting another to commit a crime, a felony.

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drunk Marijuana Lawyers Visit Our Website at:
www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_Marijuana_Defense_Lawyer.html
www.ridrugdefenselawyer.com/Rhode_Island_Marijuana_Lawyer.html

Rhode Island Reveals Results of DWI Holiday Enforcement

2012-01-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com. Attorney Matthew T. Marin has experience handling cases statewide involving charges including drunk driving, chemical test refusal, and leaving the scene of an accident.**

VIA WPRI.com

Cops reveal results of DWI enforcementHoliday weekend efforts a success

Rhode Island State Police and the Rhode Island Police Chiefs' Association have announced the results of their DWI crackdown over the holiday weekend.

State Police teamed up with the state's Municipal Police Departments over New Year's to keep roadways safe through heavy enforcement against impaired driving.
Municipal Police Departments booked 17 arrests for driving while intoxicated on December 31, 2011, and January 1, 2012. State Police made 11 arrests for DWI during those two days.

"The Rhode Island State Police continues to prioritize DUI enforcement," said Col. Steven O'Donnell, Superintendent of the RI State Police in a news release. "We stress prevention, but those who decide to endanger our citizens by operating drunk should pay the price for doing so."

Police say the increased enforcement efforts will continue throughout the year

Rhode Island Drunk Driving Cases: 28 arrests were made in holiday drunk driving crackdown

2012-01-05T07:57:00.000-08:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com. Attorney Matthew T. Marin has experience handling cases statewide involving charges including drunk driving, chemical test refusal, and leaving the scene of an accident.**

VIA WPRO.COM

Posted: 1/5/2012

28 people were arrested for Driving under the influence over the holiday weekend due to a crackdown on drunk drivers by both state and municipal police departments.

The state police joined together with police chiefs throughout the state in the “designate before you celebrate” campaign, warning people of the dangers and consequences of drunk driving.

The State police made 11 of the 28 DUI arrests while municipalities made 17 arrests. State Police Superintendent Colonel Steven O’Donnell said “The Rhode Island State Police continues to prioritize DUI enforcement. We stress prevention, but those who decide to endanger our citizens by operating drunk should pay the price for doing so.”

Gabrielle Abbate, Executive Director of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, commended law enforcements efforts in taking on drunk driving. “MADD salutes Rhode Island law enforcement, who were on the front lines combating drunk driving in order to keep families safe and injury free during the past holiday weekend,” she said.

Rhode Island Drug Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces A Major Case Victory for a Client Facing Felony Drug Charges

2012-01-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces the DISMISSAL of felony drug charges faced by a local college student Client. If you need assistance or are facing Rhode Island marijuana charges or other Rhode Island drug charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGES:
(1) Possession of Adderall
(2) Possession of Vicodin
(3) Possession of Marijuana
POLICE REPORT: The Client was driving home from class at a local Rhode Island university. The Police observed the Client speeding and halted his vehicle. Upon speaking with the Client, the Police smelled a strong odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. The Defendant was asked to exit and the vehicle was searched. During the search, the Police identified a small quantity of marijuana and a pill bottle containing both adderall and hydrocodone. Based on the drugs located during the search, the Defendant was charged with possession of marijuana, adderall, and hydrocodone.
RESULTS: ALL CHARGES DISMISSED after the Defendant successfully completed the Adult Diversion Program

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drug Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: http://www.matthewtmarin.com/rhode_island_marijuana_defense_lawyer.html
http://www.ridrugdefenselawyer.com/Rhode_Island_Possession_Controlled_Substance_Lawyer.html

Rhode Island Drunk Driving News: State Police arrested 10 for DUI on New Years Eve

2012-01-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

**Attorney Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com. Attorney Matthew T. Marin has experience handling cases statewide involving charges including drunk driving, chemical test refusal, and leaving the scene of an accident.**

VIA THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

On New Year's Eve and the early New Year's Day, the State Police arrested 10 people for driving under the influence. The most notable incident involved a motorist who rear-ended a police cruiser that was stopped with its flashing lights on at another accident.

The accident occurred at 6:39 a.m. Sunday. The vehicle was going north on Route 95 at the intersection of Charles Street in Providence, said Lt. Kelsey Marshall.

Candido Arias, 59, of 659 Chalkstone Ave., Providence, was charged with driving under the influence. Arias suffered minor injuries in the accident, Marshall said, and consented to a blood-alcohol test at Rhode Island Hospital. Arias had four passengers who were also treated for minor injuries as was one of the troopers at the scene.

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drunk Driving Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_DUI_Defense_Lawyer.html
and www.matthewtmarin.com/DUI_Defense_South_Kingstown_Rhode_island.html

Rhode Island Drug Case: Two sentenced to Prison for Marijuana Charges

2011-12-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

VIA THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

PROVIDENCE - U.S. District Judge William E. Smith has sentenced two men who admitted their roles in drug trafficking. Geraldo Alavez, 46, of San Diego, Calif., received a term of 5½ years in federal prison. Jose Luis Martinez-Garcia, 37, of Woodhaven, N.Y., got 2 years. They pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. A third defendant, Donato Rogelio Mayen-Munoz, 37, of San Diego, Calif., is awaiting trial on the same charges.

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drug Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com or www.ridrugdefenselawyer.com

Rhode Island Drunk Driving Case: Man Charged with DWI in Providence Wreck

2011-12-19T06:51:00.000-08:00

VIA THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

PROVIDENCE - Providence police say a man was charged with drunk driving after rear-ending another car in a crash that injured a woman and her child. The 24-year-old man was driving a truck on Atwells Avenue when he allegedly struck the other car. WPRI-TV reports that the driver fled the scene of the crash and struck two other cars as he tried to get away before he was caught and arrested by Providence police. He was charged with DWI, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a license. The mother and child were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drunk Driving Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_DUI_Defense_Lawyer.html

Rhode Island Drug Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces A Major Case Victory for a Medical Marijuana Client Facing Felony Drug Charges

2011-12-13T17:56:00.001-08:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a successful resolution for a Medical Marijuana client facing possession with intent to deliver marijuana charges. If you need assistance or are facing Rhode Island marijuana charges or other Rhode Island drug charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGES:
(1) Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana (felony)
(2) Driving in Possession of Marijuana
POLICE REPORT: The Client was driving with his brother and a friend when he took a right hand turn through a green light without using a turn signal. A local police officer on patrol behind the Client’s vehicle activated his lights and sirens and halted the Client’s vehicle. Upon approaching the vehicle, the Officer detected an odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and asked the Client to exit the vehicle. Once outside, the Client explained to the Officer that the odor was his medicinal marijuana and showed the Officer his medical marijuana card. Inside the Client’s trunk the Officer noticed a glass jar containing marijuana, a digital scale, and a large stack of cash. The Officer then requested consent to search the Client’s vehicle which the Client provided. Upon searching the vehicle, the Officer discovered over seven ounces of marijuana, well above the two and one-half ounce limit provided by Rhode Island’s Medical Marijuana laws. Based on what the Officer discovered, the Client was charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana and driving in possession of a controlled substance.
RESULTS: ALL CHARGES DISMISSED after prevailing on the Client's Motion to Suppress Evidence on November 18th, 2011

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drug Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: http://www.matthewtmarin.com/rhode_island_marijuana_defense_lawyer.html
http://www.ridrugdefenselawyer.com/rhode_island_marijuana_lawyer.html

Rhode Island Drugs and Weapons case: Providence police seize guns, drugs and money in raid

2011-12-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

**If the police have charged you or a loved one with a drug or weapons charge, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com. Attorney Matthew T. Marin has experience handling cases statewide involving charges stemming from the possession of weapons and possession, distribution and cultivation of illegal drugs.**

VIA The Providence Journal online

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Providence police said they seized three loaded guns, drugs, and more than $20,000 cash from a man suspected of dealing drugs from his Washington Park apartment.

Juan D. Colon, 31, was charged with seven felonies after police searched his apartment at 28 Homer St. Monday evening.

Narcotics detectives Joe Black and Charles Vieira had been investigating Colon for a month. He was holding a gun when police forced their way in and took him down at gunpoint, according to a police report.

Police seized packages of marijuana, crack cocaine, plus rolls of cash and guns stored in Colon's BMW and Chrysler, the police said.

The Providence police have now seized 126 guns this year, exceeding last year's total of 110 guns.

Rhode Island Drug Case: Two arrested in Tiverton on drug trafficking charges

2011-12-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

**If the police have charged you or a loved one with a drug charge related to the possession, cultivation, or possession with intent to deliver marijuana, cocaine, or another illegal drug, call me today for a free consultation at 401-228-8271. I have handled cases statewide involving charges stemming from the possession, distribution and cultivation. Please feel free to visit my law firm's website for more information about us at www.matthewtmarin.com.

VIA The Providence Journal online

TIVERTON, R.I. - A local man and woman are being held on charges they trafficked drugs in Tiverton and Little Compton, the police said.

More than $10,000 in drugs, $5,802 in cash and several guns were seized from their residence.

Timothy Durfee, 24, and Sara Cantin, also 24, both of of 2423 Main Rd. were arrested Friday and charged with possession with intent to distribute oxycodone, possession with intent to distribute suboxone, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession of firearms while committing a crime of violence.

The charges are a result of a six-month investigation during which Tiverton and Little Compton police conducted several controlled purchases of oxycodone and marijuana.

A bail hearing is scheduled for Dec. 13.

Rhode Island Drunk Driving and Drug Case: Police Called For Intoxicated Teen, Arrest His Brother

2011-11-29T09:07:00.000-08:00

**If the police have charged you or a loved one with a drunk driving or drug charge contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com. Attorney Matthew T. Marin has experience handling cases statewide involving charges stemming from the possession of alcohol, possession of drugs, and drunk driving.**

VIA EastBayRI.com

Barrington teenager faces three charges stemming from Saturday incident

BARRINGTON - Barrington Police received a 911 call for an 18-year-old Barrington man possibly overdosing on drugs but later arrested his 16-year-old brother who reportedly became belligerent with officers.

On Saturday, Nov. 26 at about 11:30 p.m., police received a 911 call from someone at St. Andrew's School on Federal Road. The caller said her son was likely overdosing on drugs and needed immediate medical attention.

Police officers and firefighters responded to the area and located the 18-year-old; the teenager's brother and father were trying to restrain the individual. An officer put the 18-year-old in handcuffs and asked him if he had taken any medications. According to the report, the officer could smell the odor of alcohol on the teenager's breath.

Meanwhile, the 16-year-old brother of the allegedly intoxicated teenager started yelling at his sibling. The officers told the younger brother to quiet down, but that only led to him hollering at the police officers. The younger brother grew more unruly and eventually began swearing at the officers, according to the report.

Police then charged the 16-year-old with disorderly conduct, obstructing an officer in the execution of duty and resisting arrest.

Police did not charge the older brother.

Rhode Island Drug and Weapons Case: 2 sentenced for drug & gun trafficking

2011-11-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

**If the police have charged you or a loved one with a drug or weapons charge contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com. Attorney Matthew T. Marin has experience handling cases statewide involving charges stemming from the possession of weapons and possession, distribution and cultivation of marijuana.**

VIA WPRI.com

By Melissa Sardelli

WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) - Two men charged with trafficking drugs and firearms in Woonsocket have been sentenced to federal prison.

Anthony Otero, 39, of New York was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Aaron M. Swan, 24, of Woonsocket, was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison.

Both of the men will have 3 years of supervised release once they are finished serving their prison sentences.

The arrests were a result of a two-year long investigation by local and federal authorities.

So far, 19 people have been charged, more than three dozen firearms and drugs including crack cocaine, marijuana, and ecstasy pills have been seized.

Woonsocket Police Chief Thomas Carey launched the investigation with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the ATF, targeting those individuals who were "compromising the quality of life" of Woonsocket residents.

Otero and Swan pleaded guilty to various charges in August 2011.

Rhode Island DUI Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces A Not Guilty Verdict for A Client Facing A Charge of Refusal to Submit to a Chemical Test

2011-11-20T15:51:00.000-08:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a NOT GUILTY VERDICT for a client facing the charge of Refusal to Submit to a Chemical Test (breathalyzer refusal). If you need assistance or are facing Rhode Island Drunk Driving or Breathalyzer Refusal Charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGE: Refusal to Submit to a Chemical Test (Breathalyzer Refusal)
POLICE REPORT: Police received a 911 emergency call reporting white corvette with a Massachusetts registration traveling the wrong way on a one way street. Officers were dispatched and located the white corvette. Approximately one-half mile down the street the Client’s vehicle pulled over to the side of the road and attempted to wave the cruiser by. The Officer activated his lights and siren and stopped the Client’s vehicle. Upon speaking with the Client, the Officer observed the Client to have a flushed face, moderately bloodshot and watery eyes, slightly slurred speech, and an odor of alcohol emanating from his breath. The Client then attempted standardized field sobriety tests and failed each test. He was taken into custody and, at the police station, when asked to submit to a chemical test the Client refused to submit. The police then charged the Client with refusal to submit to a chemical test (breathalyzer refusal).
RESULT: NOT GUILTY AFTER TRIAL on November 8th, 2011

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drunk Driving Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_DUI_Defense_Lawyer.html

Rhode Island Drunk Driving Cases: Four Charged With Duis In Barrington Over The Weekend

2011-11-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

**If the police have charged you or a loved one with a drug or alcohol charge contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com. Attorney Matthew T. Marin has experience handling cases statewide involving charges stemming from the possession of alcohol and possession, distribution and cultivation of marijuana.**

VIA EAST BAY RI ONLINE

BARRINGTON - Barrington Police charged four individuals — including two East Bay residents — with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol over the past weekend.

Early Friday morning, at 1:04 a.m., a Barrington Police patrolman stopped a vehicle driven by Providence resident David Adler after he noticed the car had an expired registration decal. Upon approaching the car, the patrolman could reportedly smell the odor of marijuana and he also noticed three cans of beer inside the vehicle.

He eventually ordered Mr. Adler, 19, to perform a field sobriety test, which he reportedly failed. A later search of the car allegedly revealed three 16 ounce beers, an unopened bottle of wine and a marijuana

cigarette.

Police charged Mr. Adler with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol-first offense, refusal to submit to a chemical test, possession of marijuana-first offense, and driving in possession of a controlled substance.

Police did not charge the two passengers.

Early Sunday morning, at 1:26 a.m., a police officer stopped a vehicle being driven by Warren resident Nelson M. Santos, 28, after the officer reportedly saw the car swerving on Route 114 south.

Upon approaching the driver’s side window of the car, the officer could allegedly smell alcohol coming from the driver’s breath and ordered a field sobriety test, which Mr. Santos reportedly failed. Police charged Mr. Santos with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol-first offense, and refusal to submit to a chemical test.

Four hours later, at 5:07 a.m., police charged Julio G. Gomes, 53, of Waterbury, Conn. with DUI-first offense. An officer on a traffic post on Middle Highway reportedly saw the vehicle Mr. Gomes was driving swerve numerous times. A breathalyzer test later revealed that Mr. Gomes’ blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit at .144.

On Monday morning, Nov. 7, at 1:49 a.m., police responded to a single car accident in the area of 150 Middle Highway. The first officer to respond saw a man — Joseph A. Keough, 45, of 19 Terrace Drive — standing outside his car; it appeared the car had just struck a telephone pole.

Mr. Keough reportedly told police that he had not been driving the car, and that another man had been behind the wheel at the time of the accident. He said that other man, whom he would not describe or name, ran into the woods after the accident.

Mr. Keough also reportedly told police that he had not been drinking; officers offered a different opinion and said that they could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from Mr. Keough. Police said the car was registered to Mr. Keough.

The suspect refused to take a breathalyzer test and would not submit to any field sobriety tests. Police charged Mr. Keough with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol-first offense and refusal to submit to a chemical test.

Recent RI Drug Case: North Kingstown woman arrested on drug charges

2011-11-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

November 7, 2011

By Maria Armental

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- A local woman has been arrested on drug and disorderly conduct charges.

Jessica LaFlamme, 23, of 13 Union Dr., Apt. 307, faces charges of possession of crack cocaine with intent to deliver, possession of marijuana, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

The North Kingstown police obtained a warrant to search LaFlamme's apartment as a result of an investigation into drug activity at the Heritage Village apartment complex.

On Monday morning, the North Kingstown police, Westerly Police K-9 Officer Timothy Manfredi and a special agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration searched LaFlamme's apartment and seized three grams of uncut crack cocaine, $500 in cash, and other drug paraphernalia.

Recent RI case: Five Lincoln High students arrested at homecoming dance

2011-11-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

VIA WPRO online

Lincoln police arrested five Lincoln High School students at the school's homecoming dance for possession of alcohol and marijuana.

At the dance on Friday, October 29, one adult and four juveniles were arrested after school administrators called Lincoln police about an unresponsive student, who was the victim of an apparent alcohol poisoning.

After searching the vehicle in which the arrested students arrived, police seized marijuana and alcohol.

Nicholas DeMeo, the only legal adult among the group at 18-years-old, has been charged with Possession of Marijuana. The four other juvenile students were charged with Possession of Alcohol by an Underage Person and released to their parents.

DeMeo will be arraigned in the 3rd District Court on November 18.

Recent RI Drug and Weapons case: Pawtucket man arrested on drug and weapon charges in Providence

2011-11-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

If the police have charged you or a loved one with a drug or weapons charge contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

VIA THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

By Maria Armental

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A Pawtucket man out on bail on a domestic incident was arrested Wednesday night in Providence on drug and weapon charges.

Around 9:30 p.m., the police said, detectives Patrick M. Potter and Kris S. Poplaski spotted a car at a Providence property being watched in an ongoing drug investigation.

The detectives followed the car to West Exchange Street. As officers interviewed the driver and four occupants, they noticed a man in the back seat appeared to conceal something in his pocket.

The police recovered a pistol, and charged Eugene Reid, 30, with possession of a weapon without a license, possession of a weapon after being convicted of a crime of violence, and possession with intent to deliver of a Class D drug.

Recent RI Drug Case: Two accused of drug trafficking in Glocester arrested in Providence

2011-11-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

If the police have charged you or a loved one with a drug charge related to your possession, cultivation, or possession with intent to deliver marijuana or cocaine call me today for a free consultation. I have handled cases statewide involving charges stemming from the possession, distribution and cultivation. Call me now for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case.

VIA THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

By Richard C. Dujardin

GLOCESTER, R.I. -- Two former Glocester residents who were targets of a months-long investigation by the Glocester police were arraigned before Judge Pamela Woodcock-Pfeiffer Thursday following their arrest at their Providence home.

Police said Michael Pinto, 29, and Lois Stafford, 19, were arrested at their home on Ridge Street on charges of selling cocaine and marijuana out of their former residence on Money Hill Road, Glocester. Police said they found drugs and two semi-automatic pistols in the house.

Pinto was ordered held without bail, pending a hearing on Nov. 3. Stafford was held on $10,000 bail, pending a hearing Dec. 15.

The arrests were carried out by the Glocester police and the Rhode Island State Police Fugitive and Narcotic Task Force.

Rhode Island DUI Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces A Successful Result for A Client Facing A Charge of Driving Under the Influence

2011-10-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a successful result for a client facing the charge of Driving Under the Influence, second offense, with blood alcohol content results over 0.15 and Driving with a Suspended License (based on the prior DUI). If you need assistance or are facing Rhode Island Drunk Driving or , contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGE:
(1) DUI - Second Offense - B.A.C. Over 0.15 (min. mandatory 6 months jail)
(2) Driving with a Suspended License (suspended as a result of a DUI)
POLICE REPORT: The Police stopped and approached a motor vehicle on the side of the road with its lights on at 1:30 am. Upon approaching the vehicle, the Police observed the Client passed out behind the wheel with the vehicle running. The Police turned the vehicle off and woke up the Client. The Client was incoherent and a rescue was called. The Client was taken to the hospital where field sobriety tests were conducted. After failing the tests, a blood draw was conducted that returned blood alcohol content readings of 222 mg/Dl. The Client was then charged with DUI - Second Offense with B.A.C. readings over 0.15 and driving with a suspended license (suspended as a result of the prior DUI).
RESULTS:
(1) REDUCED TO RECKLESS DRIVING and sentenced to one-year of probation (with no loss of license)
(2) DISMISSED

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drunk Driving Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_DUI_Defense_Lawyer.html

RI MEDICAL MARIJUANA NEWS: Governor scraps medical marijuana plan for Rhode Island

2011-09-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

**If the police have charged you or a loved one with a drug charged related to your possession, cultivation, or possession with intent to deliver marijuana call me today for a free consultation. I have handled cases statewide involving charges stemming from the possession, distribution and cultivation of marijuana. Call me now for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case.**

VIA REUTERS
By Zach Howard

State-run medical marijuana dispensaries will not be coming to Rhode Island after Governor Lincoln Chafee scrapped the plan for fear it was illegal under federal law.

Chafee, who had earlier vowed support for the measure, said he decided the state's planned dispensaries could violate superseding federal law and become a target of federal law enforcement efforts.

"Federal injunctions, seizures, forfeitures, arrests and prosecutions will only hurt the patients and caregivers that our law was designed to protect," the governor said in the statement late Thursday.

Before his reversal, Chafee had hoped to implement a 2009 law passed by Rhode Island's General Assembly allowing marijuana distribution through three state-run, so-called "compassion centers."

The measure authorized growing and selling marijuana to patients with debilitating illnesses, such as cancer, AIDS, and glaucoma.

Currently, 16 states and the District of Columbia allow the drug for medical use.

One of them is Montana, where in March federal agents raided state-sanctioned medical marijuana greenhouses and dispensaries in several cities, prompting an outcry from legalized pot suppliers. The busts, the first since Montana legalized marijuana for medical purposes in 2004, appeared to mark a reversal of federal policy set in 2009 that tolerated state-approved dispensaries.

Threatening a similar crackdown in Rhode Island, both the U.S. Department of Justice and Rhode Island's U.S. Attorney, Peter Neronha, this year said commercial operations such as the state-run dispensaries would be potential targets of "vigorous" criminal and civil enforcement efforts by the federal government.

Dropping the dispensary plan means that patients in Rhode Island will have to continue to grow their own marijuana, buy the drug illegally from "street" dealers, or acquire it from over 2,500 licensed caregivers in the state. Many have said they would prefer to use dispensaries for a convenient, safe, regulated option for quality marijuana.

Medical marijuana advocates decried Chafee's decision.

"We are shocked, outraged and really hurt all at the same time," JoAnne Leppanen, executive director of Providence-based Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, told Reuters.

Keith Stroup, legal counsel with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, a Washington, D.C.-based marijuana smoker's lobby, said his group was disappointed with Chafee's action.

"He's using the threat of federal enforcement somehow coming into the state as a justification to refuse to implement the medical marijuana dispensary provisions that previously have been approved," he said.

But long-time opponents including state Representative Doreen Costa cheered the plan's demise.

"I am very happy that he did that," said Costa, a Republican, who said some of her constituents did not want a dispensary in their district.

"Mainly the concern was, in the state of Rhode Island, marijuana is illegal, period. So if he wanted to open up the compassion centers, people would go buy the marijuana and I know they would be selling it on the street," Costa said.

RECENT MARIJUANA CASE: R.I. man charged in N.Y. with drug possession

2011-09-17T10:06:00.001-07:00

If the police have charged you or a loved one with a drug charged related to your possession, cultivation, or possession with intent to deliver marijuana call me today for a free consultation. I have handled cases statewide involving charges stemming from the possession, distribution and cultivation of marijuana. Call me now for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case.

VIA THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL ONLINE BLOG

HARRISON, N.Y. -- A Rhode Island man has been charged with possessing about 6.5 pounds of marijuana, according to the news website lohud.com.

Tron R. Griffith, 21, of Woonsocket, was arrested Wednesday, the website said.

The police said they found six large plastic bags of marijuana on the floor.

Griffith was released on $2,000 bail and is to appear Tuesday in Town Court.

RI Shoplifting Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces the DISMISSAL of Shoplifting Charges

2011-09-14T13:08:00.000-07:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a recent victory for a client facing a Rhode Island Shoplifting Charge. If you need assistance or are facing RI Shoplifting Charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGES: MISDEMEANOR SHOPLIFTING
POLICE REPORT: Police responded to a local store for a report of shoplifting. Upon arrival, the Police discovered that loss prevention had detained the Client after they witnessed the Client and her companion select and conceal an assortment of merchandise. The Client and her companion then exited the store without paying for the concealed merchandise. The Police then arrested the client and charged her with misdemeanor shoplifting (first offense).
RESULT: DISMISSED

For More Information On Rhode Island Shoplifting Defense Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_Shoplifting_Lawyer.html

Rhode Island DUI Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces A Not Guilty Verdict for A Client Facing A Charge of Driving Under the Influence

2011-09-08T15:56:00.001-07:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a NOT GUILTY VERDICT for a client facing the charge of Driving Under the Influence with blood alcohol content results over 0.15. If you need assistance or are facing Rhode Island Drunk Driving or Breathalyzer Refusal Charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGE: DUI - Driving Under the Influence (Blood Alcohol Content Over 0.15)
POLICE REPORT: The Police on routine patrol observed the Client make an abrupt u-turn without using a turn signal. The Police, after observing the u-turn, began following the vehicle. The Police observed the vehicle cross over the double yellow lines while traveling. At this point, the Police initiated a motor vehicle stop. Upon speaking with the Client, the Police immediately detected an odor of alcohol emanating from the Client's breath and observed his eyes to be bloodshot, watery, and droopy. The Client then performed three standardized field sobriety tests, failing each test. The Police then requested that the Client submit to a preliminary breath test, to which he consented. The Client blood alcohol content was estimated at 0.158 on the preliminary breath test. The Client was then placed under arrest and transported to the police station. At the station, the Police requested that he submit to a chemical test to which he consented. The Client's blood aclohol content at the station registered at 0.150 and 0.154. The Client was then charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol with readings over 0.15.
RESULT: NOT GUILTY AFTER TRIAL on September 6th, 2011

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drunk Driving Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_DUI_Defense_Lawyer.html

RHODE ISLAND DRUG & WEAPONS CASE: 15-year sentence given in drugs, weapons case

2011-09-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

RHODE ISLAND DRUG CASE: Pawtucket Police Make Marijuana Arrest

2011-08-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

If the police have charged you or a loved one with a drug charged related to your possession, cultivation, or possession with intent to deliver marijuana call me today for a free consultation. I have handled cases statewide involving charges stemming from the possession, distribution and cultivation of marijuana. Call me now for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case.

Visit My Websites at: Rhode Island Drug Defense Lawyer & Rhode Island Criminal Defense Lawyer

VIA THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL ONLINE

By Amanda Milkovits

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- A man suspected of dealing marijuana was arrested Tuesday after narcotics detectives found a pound of the drug in his apartment, according to the Pawtucket police.

Adam D. Waters, 28, who'd been charged with marijuana possession before, had been under investigation by the department's special squad. When detectives approached him outside his residence at 1109 Newport Ave. on Tuesday, he ran away -- dropping a bag of marijuana as he fled, said Maj. Arthur Martins.

The detectives caught Waters and then, using a search warrant, entered his apartment, where they found a pound of marijuana worth about $2,000, plus about $700 cash, Martins said.

Waters was dealing marijuana on the street, Martins said, and detectives found packaging material in his apartment during their search.

Waters was charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana, distributing near a school, and maintaining a common nuisance. He was arraigned Wednesday and ordered held without bail.

Waters has previously pleaded no contest to charges of marijuana possession, in 2007 and twice in 2003, according to court records. Each time, he received a year's suspended sentence and probation.

RI Domestic Assault Defense Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces a Recent NOT GUILTY Verdict for a Client Charged with Domestic Assault and Battery

2011-08-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a recent NOT GUILTY verdict for a client facing a charge of Domestic Simple Assault. If you need assistance or are facing a Rhode Island Domestic Assault charge or other Domestic Violence charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGE: SIMPLE ASSAULT - DOMESTIC
POLICE REPORT: The complaining witness reported to a local police department that the night prior her ex-boyfriend had been arguing with her. She told the Police that she had attempted to leave the apartment repeatedly and that the Defendant had physically restrained her from leaving by pushing her, grabbing her face, and pinning her to the ground. The complaining witness alleged that while the Defendant was physically restraining her he was screaming repeatedly in her face. The physical altercation allegedly left bruises on the complaining witness' arms and face. Based on the information provided to the Police, an arrest warrant charging the Defendant was Domestic Assault was issued for the Defendant's arrest.
RESULT: NOT GUILTY AFTER TRIAL

For More Information On Rhode Island Domestic Violence Defense Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_Domestic_Violence_Defense_Lawyer.html

RI Domestic Assault Defense Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces the DISMISSAL of Domestic Assault Charges

2011-06-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a recent victory for a client facing a charge of Domestic Assault. If you need assistance or are facing a Rhode Island Domestic Assault or Domestic Violence charge, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGE: SIMPLE ASSAULT - DOMESTIC
POLICE REPORT: Police responded to a 911 call with medical personnel to a local residence. Upon their arrival, they observed the alleged victim to have physical injuries including cuts, scrapes, and bruises. The alleged victim described an incident to the police in which the Client, while intoxicated, attacked the alleged victim during an argument. He indicated that the Client began kicking, punching, scratching, and hitting him. Based on the alleged victim's statements to the police and the observations of physical injuries the Client was charged with one count of simple assault of a domestic nature (domestic assault).
RESULT: DISMISSED AT TRIAL

For More Information On Rhode Island Domestic Violence Defense Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_Domestic_Violence_Defense_Lawyer.html

RHODE ISLAND DRUG CASE: Police Charge Medical Marijuana Patient with Felony Cultivation of Marijuana

2011-06-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

In today's current legal environment, medical marijuana patients must take extra precaution to avoid being wrongfully charged by the police. Medical marijuana patients statewide are being targeted and charged with major drug felonies including possession with intent to deliver marijuana and cultivation of marijuana. These charges, as one can see from the story below, have been levied upon individuals in compliance with Rhode Island's Medical Marijuana Laws. The law can be difficult to discern and apply in real life scenarios. If the police have charged you or a loved one with a drug charged related to your possession, cultivation, or use of medical marijuana call me today for a free consultation. I have handled cases statewide involving charges stemming from the possession and cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes. Call me now for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case.**

Visit My Website: Rhode Island Drug Defense Lawyer

VIA THE EAST PROVIDENCE PATCH

By Scott Pickering

A 37-year-old Woonsocket man tried to keep officers out of his third-floor apartment by saying it was too messy, but they overlooked the mess to nail him with $900 worth of pot, a grinder, a scale and $1,512 in cash. Officers were originally called to the third-floor apartment after someone reported bottles being thrown from the roof. When the tenant answered the door, he told officers someone had thrown a rock through his attic window and broken it, and denied throwing bottles. Police asked to see the window and the man said he would rather not show them because the area was messy. Once they entered the apartment, officers noticed a small marijuana grow operation with several young plants.

He told officers he had a prescription for medical marijuana and produced a card from Colorado, saying that he had recently moved and was awaiting his Rhode Island card, which was in the mail. Instead of waiting for the card, police charged him with felony manufacture/delivery/possession of marijuana.

RHODE ISLAND DRUG CASE: 15 Arrested in Large Scale Cocaine Sting

2011-06-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

**If you or a loved one are facing Drug Charges, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, oxycontin, and other prescription drugs, call Attorney Matthew Marin for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case.**

Visit My Website: Rhode Island Drug Defense Lawyer

VIA THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

By Donita Naylor

NORTH SCITUATE, R.I. -- Thirteen customers of a suspected large-scale cocaine distributor were arrested Friday, bringing to 15 the number arrested in what the R.I. State Police have dubbed "Operation Under the Radar."

State Police Superintendent Steven G. O'Donnell announced Friday that an investigation was launched in December to find out more about a man known only as "Junior," thought to be distributing cocaine using two vehicles containing hidden, electronically operated compartments.

With court authorization from Superior Court Judge Alice Gibney, multiple law enforcement agencies "maintained continued electronic audio intercept surveillance" between April 29 and May 18, recording more than 1,100 cell phone calls, O'Donnell's release said.

On May 18, the task force arrested Franklin Then-Bello, aka "Junior," 116 Lenox Ave., 101 Miner St., and 64 Calla St., Providence, and seized 800 grams of cocaine, drug packaging paraphernalia and the two motor vehicles.

O'Donnell said in a press release that Then-Bello maintained two addresses in the city and often stayed overnight at other locations.

Then-Bello was charged with possession of more than an ounce of cocaine and possession with intent to deliver. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer was also placed on him for illegal re-entry after deportation, O'Donnell said.

An alleged accomplice of Then-Bello was arrested May 20. Kevin A. Bissel, 53, of 158 Main St. in Pennyan, N.Y. was charged with possession of more than an ounce of cocaine and possession with intent to deliver. O'Donnel's release said that Bissel was in possesssion about 150 grams of cocaine and drug packaging materials.

Then, Friday, customers identified in the cell phone calls were arrested on warrants. According to the press release, they are:

James L. Brown, 61, 231 Rhodes St., Providence, on two counts of soliciting another to commit a crime.

Edward P. Medeiros, 45, 14 Cushman Ave., East Providence, on two counts of soliciting another to commit a crime.

Marc LaForge, 49, of 6 Appian Way, East Providence, on two counts of soliciting another to commit a crime.

Daniel S. Benevides, 37, 459 Child St., Warren, on two counts of soliciting another to commit a crime.

Joao Pimental, 54, 325 Child St., Warren, on two counts of soliciting another to commit a crime.

Stephen J. Restivo, 62, 20 Croade St., Warren, on two counts of soliciting another to commit a crime.

Patricia A. Guido, 53, 118 Water St., Warren, on two counts of soliciting another to commit a crime.

Norman M. Barnkowski, 47, 13 Parker Ave., Warren, on two counts of soliciting another to commit a crime.

William G. Destefano, 42, 1 Hezekiah Drive, Warren, on one count of soliciting another to commit a crime.

Robert P. Dellaire, 46, 833 Main St., Warren, on one count of soliciting another to commit a crime.

Ron J. Charves, 34, 24 Beach St., Warren, on one count of soliciting another to commit a crime.

Scott Circosta, 49, 11 Lucas Ave. Newport, on one count of soliciting another to commit a crime.

Richard M. Reyes, 22, 128 Canterbury St., Apt #1 F, Worcester, Mass., on one count of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver.

Police to Step Up DUI Enforcement Over the Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

**With an increased presence on Rhode Island roadways over this long holiday weekend, Police will be looking to step up enforcement of Rhode Island's DUI laws. In an effort to stay safe and enjoy your weekend, we have three simple tips:

(1) If you have been drinking, don't drive. This protects you and others on the road.

(2) If you have been stooped by the police while driving, for any reason, and are asked to take (or told to take) roadside field sobriety tests, know that you have the right to refuse to take those tests and your refusal to perform roadside field sobriety tests cannot be used against you.

(3) If you are asked to submit to a chemical test (either the breathalyzer or a blood test), ALWAYS speak with a skilled and experienced Rhode Island DUI lawyer before making that decision. The Police must afford you the opportunity to make that phone call BEFORE you make your choice.

If you have been charged with drunk driving (DUI) in Rhode Island, it is critically important that you speak with a Rhode Island DUI lawyer as soon as possible to ensure all your rights are being protected. Some evidence in DUI cases is routinely destroyed shortly after you have been charged and a experienced DUI lawyer will know how to preserve that potentially exculpatory evidence.

Visit my website at www.matthewtmarin.com for more information on Rhode Island DUI laws and penalties. Call now at 401-228-8271 to schedule a free initial case evaluation.

Via The Johnston Patch.com

Memorial Day Weekend is traditionally the start of the summer vacation and travel season. We can expect an increase in the volume of traffic along the highways throughout the state. Therefore, patrols will be vigorously concentrating on speeders, aggressive and reckless drivers, and we will be assigning additional patrols to DUI enforcement. Additionally, unmarked and low profile vehicles will be utilized by patrols to maximize the deterrent effort.

RHODE ISLAND DRUG CASE: Mass.Man Sentenced in Cocaine Delivery Case

2011-05-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

RHODE ISLAND MARIJUANA CASE: After fire, S. Kingstown man charged with growing pot

2011-05-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. - - A report of a house fire resulted in the arrest of a resident, charged with a felony of cultivating marijuana and being in possession of a firearm while committing a crime of violence, namely the marijuana cultivation, said Capt. Jeffrey Allen of the South Kingstown Police Department.

A little after 2 p.m. Wednesday, the South Kingstown Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at 29 Harrison Ave.

"There was a small fire," Allen said.

But while extinguishing the fire, firefighters saw marijuana growing inside and outside the house.

The resident, Kevin Leaf, 53, was arrested and charged with growing marijuana and also possessing a firearm.

"He consented to allow the police to come in and search the residence," Allen said.

Police officers found 18 marijuana plants growing inside the house, Allen said, and 6 growing outside the house.

"He did indicate he was in the process of obtaining a medical marijuana card," Allen said. "However, he has not received that at this time."

Leaf is to be arraigned Thursday in District Court in South Kingstown.

Rhode Island DUI Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces A Successful Resolution for a Client Facing a DUI (Drunk Driving) Charge

2011-05-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a successful resolution for a client facing a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) charge. If you need assistance or are facing Rhode Island Drunk Driving or Breathalyzer Refusal Charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGES: Driving Under the Influence (DUI/DWI)
POLICE REPORT: Police observed the Client make a right hand turn at a red light without stopping in the early morning hours in downtown Providence. Police stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator. While speaking with the Client, the Police observed the Client to have slurred speech, bloodshot watery eyes, and a strong odor of alcohol emanating from his breath. The Client consented to and failed the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, the walk and turn test, and the one leg stand test. The Client then took and failed the preliminary breath test, blowing over the 0.08 legal limit. Police then arrested the client for suspicion of DUI/DWI. At the station, the Police requested that the Client submit to a breathalyzer chemical test to which he agreed. The Client's blood alcohol content readings were over the legal limit of 0.08 and he was charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI/DWI).
RESULTS: REDUCED TO RECKLESS DRIVING, Filed (not a criminal conviction) for 1 year with 45 day loss of license

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drunk Driving Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_DUI_Defense_Lawyer.html

Rhode Island DUI Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces A Not Guilty Verdict for A Client Facing A Breathalyzer Refusal Charge

2011-05-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a not guilty verdict for a client facing the charge of Refusal to Submit to a Chemical Test (Breathalyzer Refusal). If you need assistance or are facing Rhode Island Drunk Driving or Breathalyzer Refusal Charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGE: Refusal To Submit to A Chemical Test (Breathalyzer Refusal)
POLICE REPORT: Police received a call regarding an erratic operator driving "all over the road." The Police responded, located the suspected drunk driver, and stopped his vehicle. Upon speaking with the Client, the Officer detected a strong odor of intoxicating beverage, slurred speed, and bloodshot watery eyes. The Officer requested the Client submit to field sobriety tests which the Client then failed, according to the arresting Officer. The Client was then arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence and he refused to submit to a chemical test when requested at the police station. The police charged the Client with refusal to submit to a chemical test (breathalyzer refusal).
RESULT: NOT GUILTY AFTER TRIAL

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drunk Driving Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_DUI_Defense_Lawyer.html

RI MEDICAL MARIJUANA: Watson says he used marijuana to self-treat medical condition

2011-04-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - In a deeply personal speech on the House floor about his arrest at a sobriety checkpoint in Connecticut last Friday night, House Minority Leader Robert A. Watson told colleagues Tuesday he has used marijuana to treat flare-ups of the pancreatitis that landed him in the hospital - and a five-day coma - last November.

He said he had taken a small amount of the drug with him when he went to Connecticut that day, to help a friend move, in case he was hit with another debilitating attack.

But, "I didn't smoke marijuana that day," he said, "because I didn't suffer a relapse."

But he also told colleagues that he is not legally authorized to use marijuana, under the state's medical marijuana program because Rhode Island "is a small state," and despite promises of confidentiality he feared his personal medical information would somehow leak out of the state Department of Health.

In his speech, Watson also raised questions about how he was treated by the police in East Haven, Conn., after they learned he was a legislator in Rhode Island. He denied having trouble standing, speaking or following commands, as suggested by the police report.

"I deny that I failed any of the sobriety tests," said Watson, saying he wished there had been cameras there.

He also disputed the "caricature" of him that was depicted in the police report, and said he will challenge that in a legal forum.

But he said he was also aware he will be judged in the court of public opinion.

Watson gave his speech after meeting privately with his fellow House Republicans, who later nodded their heads in assent as he said they had given him their vote of confidence to remain as minority leader.

Rhode Island Drug Lawyer Matthew Marin Announces the DISMISSAL Of Simple Possession of Marijuana and Transportation of Alcohol by a Minor Charges

2011-04-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a recent victory for a client facing the charges of simple possession of marijuana (first offense) and transportation of alcohol by a minor brought by a local police department. If you need assistance or are facing a Rhode Island Drug Charge or other criminal charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGE:
(1) POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA (FIRST OFFENSE)
(2) TRANSPORTATION OF ALCOHOL BY A MINOR
(3) SPEEDING (21 mph Over the Limit)
POLICE REPORT: A local police officer was posted on a stationary traffic radar post when the Client's vehicle approached at a high rate of speed measured by radar at 71 mph in a 50 mph zone. The vehicle was stopped and as the Officer approached he noticed small objects being thrown from the passengers side of the vehicle. At the window, the Officer could detect a strong odor of marijuana emanating from inside the vehicle. All occupants were removed from the vehicle and a subsequent search of the vehicle the Officer located marijuana, a bowl with marijuana residue, beer and a bottle of vodka. The Client, who was operating the vehicle, was arrested and charged with simple possession of marijuana and transportation of alcohol by a minor.
RESULT: ALL CHARGES DISMISSED

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drug Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: http://www.ridrugdefenselawyer.com

New Major Rhode Island Drug Case

2011-04-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

**If you or a loved one are facing Rhode Island Drug Charges, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, oxycontin, and other prescription drugs, call Attorney Matthew Marin for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and a no non-sense opinion regarding your case.**
Visit My Website: Rhode Island Drug Defense Lawyer

VIA THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL
3 indicted in RI on drug, assault, robbery charges

Friday April 15, 2011
By Tatiana Pina

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Providence County Grand Jury on Friday indicted William Randolph, 44, of 99 Washington Ave., Providence, with one count of possessing marijuana over five kilograms, one count of possessing marijuana in excess of one kilogram, and two counts of possessing marijuana with intent to deliver.

According to the indictment, Randolph had the drugs in Providence on or about Nov. 2 and Feb. 3. The Rhode Island State Police conducted the investigation.

Also indicted was Louis Calleli, 23, of 242 Burnside Ave., Woonsocket, on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon in a dwelling with intent to murder. According to the indictment, on or about Jan. 25, Calleli used a knife to assault someone in Woonsocket. The Woonsocket Police conducted the investigation.

Also indicted was Richard Garneau, 33, of 18 Centredale Ave., North Providence, on one count of first-degree robbery. Johnston Police had charged Garneau with holding up the Cumberland Farms at 609 Killingly St., Johnston, a few minutes after midnight on Jan. 26. Johnston police Maj. Michael A. Colucci said a man with a knife held up the clerk, getting some cash and a carton of cigarettes.

All three will be arraigned in Providence County Superior Court on May 4.

Unworkable Rhode Island Medical Marijuana System Places the Burden on those the Law was Intended to Benefit

2011-04-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

By Rhode Island Marijuana Defense Lawyer Matthew Marin

April 3rd, 2011

Under our current system, medical marijuana is here to stay in Rhode Island. Instead of debating the merits of medical marijuana, lawmakers should focus on creating a workable legal system that our citizens and law enforcement can both understand and comply with.

According to modern medical research conducted by the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, marijuana has been found to be beneficial in treating or alleviating pain, nausea and other symptoms associated with certain debilitating medical conditions. We need to develop a system that allows those patients in need of marijuana for medical treatment access to marijuana without the fear of prosecution from those enforcing our criminal laws.

Currently, Rhode Island’s Medical Marijuana Act decriminalizes both the possession of small quantities of marijuana and the cultivation of a small number of marijuana plants for those registered patients suffering from debilitating medical conditions. On the other hand, possession of even the smallest amount of marijuana without proper registration under the Act remains a misdemeanor criminal offense carrying up to one year in jail. The police, as is their sworn duty, continue to vigorously investigate, arrest, and prosecute Rhode Island’s criminal marijuana laws.

The problem with our current system it makes accurate enforcement nearly impossible. Due to Federal HIPAA privacy laws, in most cases the police are unable to determine whether a suspect is a registered patient under the Act prior to their investigation and arrest. Therefore, the system places the burden of asserting the medical use of marijuana on those who have already been charged with a criminal marijuana offense. These individuals, already suffering from debilitating medical conditions, are forced to hire counsel to assert their rights under the statute. They are subjected to the stigma of a formal arrest and criminal court proceedings. And at a minimum, a black mark is placed on their official criminal backgrounds while the case proceeds through the system.

So while our lawmakers’ debate the pro’s and con’s of legalized marijuana, they should take time to consider how those laws will impact the lives of those they are seeking to help. Without changes in enforcement under the current law, the heavy burden of asserting the beneficial medicinal use marijuana will continue to fall on those citizens the law is intended to assist.

**For More Information on Rhode Island's Marijuana Laws visit our Website or call 24/7 at 401-228-8271**

MA, RI Officials Team Up on Drug Bust

2011-03-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Visit My Website: Rhode Island Drug Defense Lawyer

VIA ABC 6 NEWS:

Monday, Rhode Island and Massachusetts officials announced the results of an extensive wiretap investigation they called "Operation Night Out," which resulted in 5 arrests, and the seizure of money, drugs, ammunition, and vehicles.

The investigation took 6 months, and was centered around Jonathan Coombs, and Brandon Braddock, the owners and operators of Entourage Limousine in North Attleboro. Through the investigation, officials were able to discover that Mr. Coombs, and Mr. Braddock were selling drugs.

By using a court authorized wiretap, officials were able to find out that Coombs, and Braddock were using their limousine company for illegal operations, and selling large amounts of marijuana.

Braddock and Coombs were arraigned in Attleboro District Court on Friday, and released on $5,000 cash bail.

As a result of the investigation, other arrests were made as well. Alan Moulton of Bellingham, Ma was arrested, and arrest warrants have been issued for Thomas Gannon, and Elaine Keevan, both of Marion. All defendants have been charged with violations of controlled substance laws in RI and MA.

Officials say other arrests may still be forthcoming.

RI Shoplifting Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces the DISMISSAL of Shoplifting Charges

2011-03-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

CHARGES: MISDEMEANOR SHOPLIFTING
POLICE REPORT: The Client, an international student attending school in the United States on a Student Visa, was shopping at a local mall. During the course of shopping, the Client paid for some items but failed to pay for others that she was carrying. The Client then passed all points of sale and exited the store without paying for a few items that she was carrying. Store security then detained her, the police were summonsed, and the Client was charged with misdemeanor shoplifting (first offense).
RESULTS: DISMISSED

For More Information On Rhode Island Domestic Violence Defense Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_Shoplifting_Lawyer.html

RI Drug Defense Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces the DISMISSAL of Possession of Marijuana Charges

2011-03-28T03:49:00.000-07:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a recent victory for a client facing the charge of possession of marijuana (first offense) brought by a local police department. If you need assistance or are facing a Rhode Island Drug Charge or other criminal charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGE: POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA (FIRST OFFENSE)
POLICE REPORT: Campus Security was notified of an odor of marijuana emanating from a dorm suite. When the Campus Security arrived at the room, they also noticed the strong odor of burnt marijuana emanating from the dorm suite. Campus Security knocked and entered the room. Marijuana and smoking implements were clearly visible on the coffee table as Campus Security entered the dorm room. The occupants were asked who was responsible for the marijuana, and the Client admitted possessing the marijuana. The local police were summonsed and the suspected marijuana was field tested positive. The Client was charged with simple possession of marijuana (first offense).
RESULT: DISMISSED

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drug Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: http://www.ridrugdefenselawyer.com

RI Criminal Defense Lawyer Matthew T. Marin announces the DISMISSAL of Simple Assault and Disorderly Conduct Charges

2011-03-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a recent victory for a client facing an assault charges and disorderly conduct charges. If you need assistance or are facing a Rhode Island Assault Charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGES: (1) SIMPLE ASSAULT and (2) DISORDERLY CONDUCT
POLICE REPORT: A large crowd gathered around a woman who appeared to be assaulting a young boy. The crowd began yelling at the woman, screaming at her to stop hurting the child. Allegedly, the Client was part of this large group. According to a witness who was across the street, the Client walked up to the woman and punched her in the head causing her to fall to the ground where the crowd began assaulting her. The witness standing across the street notified the police who arrived and, based on the witness' statement, arrested the Client charging her with simple assault and disorderly conduct.
RESULT: BOTH CHARGES DISMISSED

For More Information On Rhode Island Assault and Battery Defense Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/assault.html

RI Domestic Violence Defense Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces the DISMISSAL of Domestic Assault and Domestic Vandalism Charges

2011-03-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a recent victory for a client facing charges of Domestic Assault and Domestic Vandalism. If you need assistance or are facing a Rhode Island Domestic Assault or Domestic Vandalism charge, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGES:
COUNT 1: DOMESTIC ASSAULT
COUNT 2: DOMESTIC VANDALISM
POLICE REPORT: Police were dispatched to a Shell Gas Station parking lot for a report of a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival, the police spoke with the alleged Victim who explained that she had been in a physical altercation and that the Client had allegedly punched her in the mouth and bit her on her forearm. The police observed the Victim to have a fat lip and a bite mark on her right forearm. The Victim went on to state that the Client had smashed her front windshield and damaged the interior of the passenger side doors. Police corroborated the damage to the vehicle. The police placed the Client into custody charging her with domestic assault and domestic vandalism.
RESULTS:
COUNT 1: DISMISSED
COUNT 2: DISMISSED

For More Information On Rhode Island Domestic Violence Defense Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_Domestic_Violence_Defense_Lawyer.html

Matthew T. Marin - Providence Rhode Island (RI) Attorney - Nolo Lawyer Directory

2011-03-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

Matthew T. Marin - Providence Rhode Island (RI) Attorney - Nolo Lawyer Directory

RHODE ISLAND DRUG CASE IN THE NEWS

2011-03-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Rhode Island Drug Defense Lawyer Matthew Marin thought you may be interested in this recent Rhode Island crack cocaine drug case:

Via THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL:

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A 22-year-old North Providence man has been ordered held without bail following his arrest on narcotics charges.

Elroy Orlando Crump, of 3 Polly Drive, was picked up by state police in Lincoln March 11 on a North Providence warrant charging him with the possession and distribution of crack cocaine.

Police said that when they went to Crump's home on March 8, they seized 169 pieces of crack cocaine with an estimated street value of $5,040, other loose chunks of a white-rock substance valued at $5,000, and razor blades and scales commonly used in the distribution of drugs.

Justice of the Peace Bernard Lemos conducted a special arraignment on March 11 and ordered Crump to be held without bail.

**If you or a loved one has been charged with possession or distribution of crack cocaine, or any other Rhode Island Drug charge, contact Attorney Matthew Marin today for aggressive criminal defense.**

Visit Our Website: www.ridrugdefenselawyer.com

Significant Alterations to Rhode Island's Marijuana Laws May Lay Ahead

2011-03-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

Via PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Two key committees of the state House of Representatives on Wednesday will take up a host of proposals regulating marijuana.

One bill, sponsored by Rep. Edith H. Ajello, D- Providence, would legalize, regulate and tax the drug.

Another bill, sponsored by Rep. Rene Menard, D-Lincoln, would tax the soon-to-be-opened medical marijuana dispensaries that will be licensed and regulated by the state to grow and sell the drug.

And still another bill, submitted by Rep. John G. Edwards, D-Tiverton, would decriminalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, making it a civil offense subject to a $150 fine.

Consideration of the bills, a number of which have been introduced in years past, come close on the heels of two significant developments in the state-sanctioned medical marijuana industry.

Last Tuesday, Governor Chafee unveiled his first budget, proposing a surcharge equal to 4 percent of a compassion center's "net patient revenue" as well as a new 6-percent sales tax on the retail sale of medical marijuana.

The governor estimated the state can generate more than $1.35 million in new revenue from the proposed marijuana taxes and surcharges in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

This Tuesday, the state Department of Health announced the first three recipients of a state license to open a marijuana dispensary. The applicants were chosen among 18 other non-profit organizations.

The House Finance Committee will take up Ajello and Menard's proposals at a hearing at 1 p.m.

The House Judiciary Committee will take up the Edwards proposal and four other marijuana-related bills following the regular afternoon House session at 4 p.m.

Among those four other bills, which have all been submitted by Rep. Roberto DaSilva, D-East Providence, are proposals to give landlords the right not to lease an apartment to a person who intends to grow medical marijuana and a proposal to make a second offense of possession of marijuana a misdemeanor.

Big Changes Proposed to Rhode Island Criminal Laws

2011-03-14T17:04:00.001-07:00

Via the PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

PROVIDENCE - Rhode Island's new attorney general, Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin, has been in office for just 2 1/2 months. But the former Pawtucket police officer and legislator, now a lawyer who served for 20 years in the state House of Representatives, has just submitted a raft of bills that target everything from lax policing of home care attendants, to residential mortgage fraud, deceptive trade practices, cyber-crimes, drunken driving and public-corruption.

And there are more bills to come. While his staffers are remaining mum about the specifics, Kilmartin is currently working on proposed legislation that would amend the state's medical marijuana-law. There's also a bill being drafted that would give local law enforcement agencies more authority to police gambling gaming facilities.

In a lengthy interview last week, Kilmartin outlined his ambitious legislative agenda for 2011. All of the proposed bills will require a hearing before they come up for a vote. Some measures are mirror images of bills that Kilmartin tried to get enacted when he was a House member. Others incorporate initiatives his Democratic predecessor, Patrick C. Lynch, tried to push through. But some of the bills are newly minted and stem from what Kilmartin sees as flaws in Rhode Island's legal landscape as well as a heap of societal issues.

The bills would require licensure of personal care attendants who help the elderly and disabled in their homes, broaden the reach of current state laws aimed at Internet crime, and add a new arsenal of offenses that prosecutors could charge when going after corrupt public officials.

Kilmartin is also proposing legislation that by July of this year - the US government deadline - would put Rhode Island in compliance with the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act sex-offender registration laws (SORNA) -- an initiative that Lynch, his predecessor, said was too costly for the state to contemplate doing in such a short time span but which Kilmartin claims can be accomplished without additional cost to the state.

Amy Kempe, spokeswoman for Kilmartin, said that if the state did not comply by the deadline, Rhode Island could lose up to $650,000 annually in federal funding for justice initiatives on the state and local level which she said would be more than it would cost to implement the SORNA mandates. "And if we implement the act, the state police have been assured they'd receive $200,000 to establish the web-based notification process," she said.

SORNA contains some provisions that have been controversial nationally - including the requirement that certain juvenile sex offenders who are adjudicated in the Family Court - register on an Internet database, and retroactive registration requirements for some offenders who were convicted and punished for sex crimes years ago.
One of the bills Kilmartin has submitted is aimed at attacking the state's huge problem with drunken drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 40 percent of 2009 highway driving fatalities in Rhode Island involved drivers who were alcohol-impaired, 25 percent above the national average.

Rhode Island Shoplifting Defense Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces the DISMISSAL of a RI Shoplifting Charge

2011-03-02T18:54:00.000-08:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a recent victory for a client facing a Shoplifting charge. If you need assistance or are facing a Rhode Island Shoplifting Charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGES: MISDEMEANOR SHOPLIFTING
POLICE REPORT: The Client was observed, via store security camera, to place items underneath her shopping cart while browsing throughout the store. The Client eventually proceeded to the register and paid for some items. However, the Client failed to pay for certain items which were hidden by the paid for items. The Client then left the store passing the last checkout. Store security proceeded to stop the Client and locate the unpaid-for items in her shopping cart. The Store security wished to press charges and the Client was charged with Misdemeanor Shoplifting, first offense.
RESULT: DISMISSED

For More Information On Rhode Island Shoplifting Defense Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_Shoplifting_Lawyer.html

Rhode Island DUI Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces A Successful Resolution for a Client Facing DUI and Breathalyzer Refusal Charges

2011-02-26T07:53:00.000-08:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a successful resolution for a client facing the charges of Refusal to Submit to a Chemical Test (Breathalyzer Refusal) and Driving Under the Influence. If you need assistance or are facing Rhode Island Drunk Driving or Breathalyzer Refusal Charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGES:
(1) Refusal To Submit to A Chemical Test (Breathalyzer Refusal)
(2) Driving Under the Influence (DUI - Blood Alcohol Content Unknown)
POLICE REPORT: Police received a call regarding a single car accident with a vehicle in a snow bank. Upon arrival, the Police found the Client in the snow bank throwing up. The Police observed the initial indications of intoxication and asked the Client perform standardized field sobriety tests, which the Client failed. The Client was then transported to a local hospital where the Police requested the Client submit to a blood test for the presence of alcohol or drugs. The Client refused and was charged with both driving under the influence and refusal to submit to a chemical test.
RESULTS:
(1) DISMISSED
(2) REDUCED TO RECKLESS DRIVING, Filed (not a criminal conviction) for 1 year with 30 day loss of license

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drunk Driving Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_DUI_Defense_Lawyer.html

RI Drug Defense Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces the DISMISSAL of Possession of Marijuana Charges

2011-02-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a recent victory for a client facing the charge of possession of marijuana (first offense) brought by a local police department. If you need assistance or are facing a Rhode Island Drug Charge or other criminal charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGE: POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA (FIRST OFFENSE)
POLICE REPORT: Client was driving and had to pull her vehicle over because her passenger was sick. While the vehicle was stopped a police cruiser pulled up behind the Client. The Officer approached and spoke with the Client. While they were speaking the Officer detected a strong odor of freshly burnt marijuana. The Client was asked if there was any marijuana within the car. The Client admitted to possessing marijuana and handed the Officer a small bag containing suspected marijuana. Police then charged the Client was possession of marijuana, first offense.
RESULT: DISMISSED

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Drug Defense Lawyers Visit Our Website at: http://www.matthewtmarin.com/

RI Criminal Defense Lawyer Matthew Marin announces the DISMISSAL of a Simple Assault Charge

2011-01-23T18:55:00.000-08:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a recent victory for a client facing a charge of simple assault and battery. If you need assistance or are facing a Rhode Island Simple Assault Charge or other criminal charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGE: SIMPLE ASSAULT AND BATTERY
POLICE REPORT: Client was at a local meeting. The alleged victim, also in attendance, began verbally berating the Client instigating a response. The alleged victim moved towards the Client while raising his voice. The Client puffed his chest out and walked into the alleged victim, pushing him against the wall. After holding him against the wall for a moment, the Client released the alleged victim and left the area. The Police were called and the alleged victim pressed charges against the Client charging him with Simple Assault and Battery.
RESULT: DISMISSED THE DAY OF TRIAL

For More Information About Our Rhode Island Assault Defense Visit Our Website at: http://www.matthewtmarin.com/

New rule prohibits blogging, tweeting in courtroom

2011-01-04T14:44:00.001-08:00

01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, January 4, 2011

By Katie Mulvaney

Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE — U.S. District Court in Rhode Island has passed a new rule aimed at preventing blogging and tweeting in the courtroom.

The court late last month approved changes to the rules governing the Rhode Island court that banned the transmission of any proceeding, unless otherwise authorized by the court. The rule previously prohibited all photographing, recording or broadcasting any proceedings, other than ceremonial events by permission. The court has now added a catchall phrase than bans any “other” transmission.

“Right now, the court takes a very conservative view,” said David A. DiMarzio, clerk of the court. Only lawyers are allowed to bring cell phones into the courtroom.

The Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union had objected to the change, cautioning it could stop the use of new technology “in its tracks without the careful consideration it deserves on a case-by-case basis.” Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU’s state affiliate, noted in a letter to the court that other courts throughout the country have begun allowing members of the media to “tweet” from the courtroom in high-profile cases. Those updates were then posted on the website www.Twitter.com for the public to follow.

The court’s rules leave room for an individual to request that the rule be lifted, but that person must prove “that exceptional circumstances exist in which application of a rule would create an injustice or undue hardship.”

“For someone to make an exception, the standard would be very high,” DiMarzio said. The person would have to show “there was no reasonable alternative available to address a situation.”

In a letter to the ACLU, Chief U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi wrote that the change was designed to cover new technologies that “might not comfortably fit within the definition of ‘broadcasting.’ ”

It is in keeping with a 1994 national policy that “does not allow courtroom proceedings in civil and criminal proceedings in the district courts to be broadcast, televised, recorded or photographed for the purpose of public dissemination,” she wrote. “Until that policy is changed, we will continue to prohibit any activity that might possibly fall within the scope of that prohibition.”

Lisi said, however, that the court would continue to review the rules for improvements and refinements as technology evolves.

The court also instituted a rule that allows lawyers to request that certain information be blocked from court records available over the Internet. The ACLU had raised concerns that the rule, if approved, would give parties the right to ask the court to have details other than personal identifiers stricken from court transcripts, and that it could indefinitely delay public access to court records over the Internet.

While all federal courts are required to hide an individual’s Social Security number, birth dates and minors’ names from publicly accessible court records, the new rule clears the way for parties here to ask that other information be blacked out from transcripts. Until the court rules, the transcript would not be available online.

Lisi wrote the ACLU that the rule had been a local and national policy for 2½ years and was being formally incorporated into the rules.

“We consider such requests for additional redaction to be the exceptional situation,” Lisi wrote. The court had received only two requests in the past years, she said.

kmulvane@projo.com

Rhode Island Shoplifting Defense Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces the DISMISSAL of a RI Shoplifting Charge

2010-12-19T19:52:00.000-08:00

CHARGES: MISDEMEANOR SHOPLIFTING
POLICE REPORT: Client, after browsing a south county store, exited the store without paying for a number of scarves. Store security stopped the Client and found the scarves in her purse. The police were called and the Client was arrested for Shoplifting (First Offense).
RESULT: DISMISSED

For More Information On Rhode Island Shoplifting Defense Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_Shoplifting_Lawyer.html

Reale gets 8 years in death of Colin Foote

2010-12-19T19:49:00.000-08:00

11:33 AM EST on Saturday, December 18, 2010

By Tracy Breton

Journal Staff Writer

KINGSTOWN –– Laura A. Reale, the drug-addicted Westerly woman who failed to stop at a red light on Route 1 in Charlestown in May, killing motorcyclist Colin B. Foote, was sentenced Friday to serve 8 years of a 10-year sentence in the Adult Correctional Institutions.

“I find that marijuana killed Colin Foote,” Superior Court Judge Edwin J. Gale said in imposing the sentence, which includes substance-abuse and mental-health counseling and, when Reale is released on two years’ probation, 200 hours of community service and suspension of her driver’s license for five years.

The state’s prosecutor, Cindy Soccio, and members of Foote’s family had urged Gale to order Reale, 27, to serve the full 10 years — the maximum provided by state law — but the judge rebuffed their pleas, saying he wanted to make sure that once she was released there would be some constraints on her. She’ll have to report to a probation officer and practice good behavior for two years or she could wind up back in prison to finish the full 10-year sentence.

Reale, who pleaded guilty last month to a charge of driving to endanger, death resulting, wept through most of the proceedings, which lasted more than two hours. The Westerly High School graduate, who attended but did not finish the Community College of Rhode Island, appeared in court wearing suede sneakers, khaki slacks, a T-shirt and navy blue zip-up sweatshirt, her hands cuffed in front of her.

For the first time, she offered an apology to the Foote family, who sat on the opposite side of the courtroom with many of Colin’s friends and the woman he’d planned to marry, his longtime girlfriend, Mallory Kowal.

Reale said she had been devastated by “my senseless actions,” and that “I wish I could trade places with Colin today and take away some of [his family’s] pain. … My sorrow is so great and my pain has been endless.”

“There is not one waking hour when I am not consumed with Colin’s death” and the effect it has had on his family,” Reale said, reading from a handwritten statement. “I pray for Colin and his family daily” and “tell him how sorry I am. …”

As her parents, Thomas and Diana Reale, sat weeping behind her, their only child told the court that she hoped that someday the Foote family could “find it in their hearts to forgive me” and that God would “give them the peace they deserve.”

The Foote family, in highly emotional statements to the court, characterized Reale as evil, revolting and selfish and questioned whether “she has any goodness inside.” They also chided her and her parents for never contacting them after the accident to say they were sorry –– something defense lawyer Stephen R. Famiglietti later said he had told them not to do while the case was pending.

There was nary a dry eye in the spectator gallery as one by one, those most impacted by the death of Foote –– a 27-year-old cum laude Connecticut College graduate who lived in Charlestown and worked in public relations in Providence –– talked about their loss and poured out their pain.

Prosecutor Soccio showed a Foote family-made DVD capturing Colin’s life, from his days as a baby to the night he announced to his parents that he’d landed a full-time job.

His girlfriend, Kowal, had looked forward to having a wedding on Block Island and having children with her high school sweetheart. They had dreams of buying a yellow house and a bulldog but those plans were ruined, she said, “because of Laura Reale.”

Kowal told the court how, on the night of the fatal crash, she rushed to Westerly Hospital where he was pronounced dead and held his hand “as long as they would let me” after he had taken his last breath.

Kowal, who works in the emergency room at Hasbro Children’s Hospital offering bereavement counseling to those in need, is now in therapy herself — as are Foote’s parents, Richard “Robin” Foote and Maryann Foote. “Getting through just one day [now] is just so daunting and exhausting that I often feel life is not worth living,” said Kowal.

Colin’s mother talked about how “a part of me has died” with the loss of Colin and how she’s filled “with an angry sense of injustice” and bitterness and that sometimes, she feels like her “longtime investment in Colin” was for nothing.

Maryann Foote was following her son home in her car and, together with her other son, witnessed Colin getting struck. She recounted in court how she knelt over him on the roadway as he lay dying, “barely breathing, his helmet on,” how she prayed silently for him, waiting for a rescue truck, telling him over and over again “that I loved him.”

“And then I saw something bounding towards me as I bent over my son … a face of pure evil,” she said, referring to Laura Reale, who she said offered “some lame excuse” about not seeing the red light she had just run.

Maryann Foote chided the police for failing to adequately patrol Route 1 and urged the court to use her son’s case as an example to deter others from habitually violating traffic laws — as Reale did 28 times over 8½ years.

Famiglietti said that from the moment his client hit Colin Foote, she accepted responsibility. “She has a chance to make something of her life,” he said.

Gale –– who said he’d received over 100 letters from people across the country urging him to give Reale the maximum 10 years — said he doesn’t believe that the fatal crash was an accident.

“It was a predictable loss of life by someone who [in her pre-sentence report] describes herself as totally irresponsible” and who has been “almost totally self-indulgent, passing through life in a drug-induced fog.”

For over 10 years, Gale said, Reale has been “self-consumed, lazy, without ambition, purpose, addicted” to marijuana [and later, according to Soccio, to Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin.]

The judge said that he doesn’t believe Reale is evil but pointed out that she’d candidly admitted in her pre-sentence report that “‘I am not responsible, and I do not have a good work ethic, and I don’t want to work.’”

Gale said “it was a result of her chronic marijuana use since age fifteen” that caused this. In a lengthy discourse in which he railed against the evils of marijuana, Gale said: “The defendant was high on marijuana at the time of that fatal crash. She had just had some hits and she planned to have some more” when the accident occurred.

Although she was never charged with any drug offenses in connection with the fatality, Soccio, the prosecutor, said that on the last day of Foote’s life, while Colin, his brother and mother were enjoying a day-trip to Block Island, Laura Reale “spent her Sunday with two male companions hanging out at the Krystal Penguin Motel” in Charlestown.

“They smoked marijuana; she left the motel at some point; and then went back and at the end of the day,” she and a friend “went to find a convenience store to buy a blunt to smoke marijuana because” according to her companion, “Laura had a bag of marijuana.”

She was chattering about her ex-boyfriend and not paying attention, Soccio said, when she rode through the red light at West Beach Road and slammed into Foote. “She never hit her brakes, never slowed down … until after she hit Colin.”

Soccio bemoaned the fact that the General Assembly has set such a low maximum sentence for Reale’s crime.

Gale said he was upset that Rhode Island now has legalized marijuana for medicinal use even though the people who get it don’t know the grower and the growth “will not be inspected” for potency.

Day after day, the judge said, defense lawyers come to him to plead for leniency for clients, saying, “it’s only marijuana.” Saying that marijuana today is five times more potent than a generation ago, he asked, “When will our culture wake up and stop pretending that soft drugs are okay?”

The judge urged the media to write more stories about the dangers of marijuana. There are many people out there, he said, who are “lazy” and “irresponsible” and the taxpayers “are supporting their lifestyle, and the family of Colin Foote is paying the highest price imaginable.”

tbreton@projo.com

Man who trafficked tons of marijuana to Fall River, Providence sentenced

2010-12-19T04:06:00.000-08:00

By Will Richmond

Herald News Staff Reporter

Posted Dec 17, 2010 @ 11:19 AM

BOSTON —

A Providence man accused of leading a marijuana trafficking operation in Fall River and Providence has been sentenced to nearly two decades in a federal prison.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Jeremy Barnes, 36, was sentenced to 17½ years, to be followed by five years of supervised release and a $50,000 fine, for conspiracy to distribute at least 50 kilograms of marijuana and distribution of marijuana in March 2006. Barnes had previously pleaded guilty to the charges stemming from a joint investigation by federal and local authorities aimed at reducing large-scale drug dealing in southern Massachusetts and Providence.

Prosecutors described Barnes as the leader of a large-scale marijuana distribution operation who obtained marijuana and cocaine from co-conspirators in California and elsewhere.

According to the Department of Justice, Chief Judge Mark Wolf found that Barnes and his California co-conspirators transported tons of marijuana from California to New England via tractor-trailers, small trucks and express mail packages.

After finding Barnes responsible for distributing at least 2,700 kilograms of marijuana, worth millions of dollars, and cocaine, Wolf sentenced Barnes to 210 months in prison.

According to the Department of Justice, the Fall River, Tiverton and Bristol, R.I., police departments and the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Providence field office played pivotal roles in the investigation.

E-mail Will Richmond at wrichmond@heraldnews.com.

Providence police detective pleads guilty in drug case

2010-12-16T14:18:00.000-08:00

By Gregory Smith

Journal Staff Writer

Providence Detective Joseph A. Colanduono, right, pleads guilty in Superior Court Thursday. At left is his lawyer, Ralph E. Chiodo.

The Providence Journal / Andrew Dickerman

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Police Detective Joseph A. Colanduono, a highly respected “narc” who fell in with crooks, pleaded guilty in Superior Court Thursday to drug-dealing conspiracy and other charges.

Colanduono admitted for all intents and purposes that he put himself in the service of drug dealer Albert B. Hamlin, who Colanduono’s unwitting supervisors in the Providence Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration knew only as the detective’s longtime confidential informant.

When their illicit business was uncovered, Hamlin turned on Colanduono and agreed to help the Rhode Island State Police sting his confederate. The veteran police officer was tricked into committing a theft — one of the counts to which he plead guilty.

Both men were snared in Operation Deception, a joint investigation by the state police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation of a drug-peddling ring in Providence. Albert Hamlin three weeks ago pleaded guilty to 24 charges and remains in prison pending sentencing.

At least 22 other people were charged in the investigation, including three more Providence officers: Patrolman Robert J. Hamlin Jr., Albert Hamlin’s older brother; narcotics Detective Robert M. Enright; and Sgt. Stephen T. Gonsalves. All four are suspended from duty without pay.

State police say the ring, which mostly dealt in cocaine, was led by Albert Hamlin, a carpet layer who had never been arrested but whose knowledge of the drug underworld made him Colanduono’s confidential informant for 10 years and who was registered as such with the Providence police and the DEA. At the time they were arrested, Colanduono and Enright had been on a long-term assignment with a DEA task force in Rhode Island.

In a hearing at the Licht Judicial Complex downtown, Judge Robert D. Krause accepted Colanduono’s plea on four felony charges: two counts of conspiracy to twice deliver drugs to Gonsalves; larceny over $500; and harboring a criminal. Five charges were withdrawn.

In the process the judge accepted a plea deal between Colanduono and the office of Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch in which five of the original nine charges were dismissed and Colanduono will face a maximum 20-year prison sentence, with a maximum 10 years to serve and the balance suspended with probation.

Krause, working within the limits of that deal, said he would impose sentence next month.

Colanduono, 45, of 9 Bayberry Drive, West Warwick, who is married and the father of four children, ages 3, 15, 16 and 18, was sent back to the Adult Correctional Institutions, where he is being held without bail.

As he turned to leave, Colanduono gave his wife, Tracey, 41, who was in the audience, a small smile.

“He’s a good man,” Mrs. Colanduono said later. “When he comes home, I’ll be waiting for him.”

When the state police arrested Albert Hamlin on March 4, he was quick to implicate Colanduono, and Hamlin agreed to help them set up his coconspirator, the authorities have disclosed.

At the direction of the troopers, on the same day, Hamlin telephoned Colanduono and said he was doing business with a man at the Home Depot store on Charles Street. He wanted Colanduono to help him with a rip-off.

Would Colanduono go to the man’s white van left unattended in the park-and-ride lot across the street from the Home Depot and grab $2,000 that the man had stashed in an envelope in the glove box, Hamlin asked. Hamlin said he had managed to leave the van unlocked. Actually, troopers had staged the van and the money.

Colanduono, driving an undercover Providence police car, completed the errand and returned to police headquarters.

Colanduono then was summoned by his superiors to a conference room in the police chief’s office suite and arrested, and the envelope of cash was taken from his pants pocket. As Assistant Attorney General Pamela E. Chin expressed it in court Thursday, he stole the state police’s money.

The harboring count pertains to an unusual incident in North Providence in which Hamlin, impersonating a police officer, boarded a Federal Express delivery truck in a shopping center parking lot in a fruitless search for a package containing five pounds of marijuana that had been sent to him from Texas. Hamlin has admitted what he did and that he carried a badge and a gun.

On Nov. 12, 2009, he boarded the truck of driver Claudio Brito, 33, and said he was a police officer working on a drug case. Although the details of the incident are murky, Hamlin at one point gave Brito his cell phone number.

Chin told the judge Thursday that when Colanduono learned of the incident, he told Hamlin to dump his cell phone and that he gave Hamlin advice about how to avoid detection and arrest.

When a Federal Express security officer contacted the DEA to ask if it was a DEA operative who accosted their driver, Colanduono and Enright, in their capacities on the task force, were assigned to interview the driver. But the detectives allegedly only went through the motions of investigating.

Thursday’s plea continues a long fall from grace for Colanduono, who joined the police force in 1987, had been a key player in important drug cases in Providence and the region, and had won significant awards.

He said little at the hearing, other than to identify himself and to plead guilty.

Despite the plea, Tracey Colanduono insisted later, “He didn’t cross the line. He was just doing his job.”

“He’s a great cop. He always will be.”

She was accompanied by Amy DiNobile, a clerk at City Hall and Colanduono’s former sister-in-law, who has been helping to take care of the Colanduono children.

“Being an undercover cop is a tough and dirty job,” DiNobile said, in which an officer has to pretend to be a criminal.

“The end result is, he didn’t kill anybody. Let him go to work. Give him a [electronic monitoring] bracelet. Why have another family go into the system.”

Standing on the courthouse steps, Tracey Colanduono said, “I’m glad it’s over.”

“Now it’s time to rebuild.”

TIMELINE Operation Deception

Nov. 20, 2009: State police begin a wiretap investigation of Albert B. Hamlin after getting information from an informant. They later describe Hamlin as a high-level drug dealer.

February: State police electronically monitor for a month the police car of Providence narcotics Detective Joseph A.

Colanduono.

March 4: State police arrest on drug charges six people including Colanduono and two other officers who they say were helping to protect a drug operation run by Hamlin. State police say the investigation is continuing.

March 5: Four officers, including narcotics Detective Robert M. Enright, are placed on desk duty at Providence police headquarters as a result of the state police investigation.

March 8: Mayor David N. Cicilline directs Police Chief Dean M. Esserman to conduct random drug testing of Providence officers. One of the officers charged by state police, Sgt. Stephen T. Gonsalves, was a cocaine user, they said.

March 10: Cicilline withdraws the drug testing order in the face of opposition from the police union and the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.

April: Colanduono and another officer charged, Patrolman Robert J. Hamlin Jr., brother of Albert Hamlin, are ordered held without bail.

June 7: Statewide grand jury indicts 24 people in connection with Operation Deception, including Colanduono and the

Hamlins.

Nov. 18: Albert Hamlin pleads guilty to 24 charges after negotiations with the attorney general’s office. Fourteen other charges are dropped.

Dec. 9: Colanduono pleads guilty to four charges against him. Five others are dropped as a result of plea negotiations with the attorney general’s office.

gsmith@projo.com

RI Police Report Few Problems for Holiday Roads

2010-11-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Rhode Island state troopers are seeing few problems on Ocean State road as motorists hit the streets for the holidays.

State police reported few problems Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Police say the night before Thanksgiving is one of the biggest party nights of the year, and that makes it one of the deadliest nights on the roads.

Many troopers were assigned to a DUI enforcement detail to watch out for impaired drivers.

Trooper Franklin Navarro told WPRI-TV that most troopers were out looking for impaired drivers because the combination of people celebrating the holidays and high traffic made for dangerous roads.

------

Information from: WPRI-TV, http://www.wpri.com

RI Domestic Violence Defense Lawyer Matthew T. Marin Announces the DISMISSAL of Domestic Assault and Domestic Violation of a No Contact Order Charges

2010-11-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

Attorney Matthew T. Marin announces a recent victory for a client facing charges of Domestic Assault and Domestic Violation of a No Contact Order. If you need assistance or are facing a Rhode Island Domestic Assault or Domestic No Contact Order charges, contact Attorney Matthew T. Marin at 401-228-8271 or mm@matthewtmarin.com.

CHARGES:
COUNT 1: DOMESTIC ASSAULT
COUNT 2: DOMESTIC VIOLATION OF A NO CONTACT ORDER
POLICE REPORT: Client and his wife had spent the night drinking. They returned home and an argument broke ensued. The verbal argument then became physical with both the Client and his wife physically assaulting one another. The Police were summoned by a neighbor. After speaking with all witnesses, the Police arrested the Client charging him with Domestic Assault and Domestic Violation of a No Contact Order.
RESULTS:
COUNT 1: DISMISSED
COUNT 2: DISMISSED

For More Information On Rhode Island Domestic Violence Defense Visit Our Website at: www.matthewtmarin.com/Rhode_Island_Domestic_Violence_Defense_Lawyer.html

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