Cranston Man Charged with DUI in East Greenwich

A 31-year-old Cranston man is facing charges of driving under the influence after he allegedly drove through a stop sign in a residential area at 56 mph in a 25 mph zone early Valentine’s Day morning.

Police said Pietro Verte, of 66 Wayside Drive, Cranston, was seen by an officer at around 4:10 a.m. as he drove fast on Main Street, turned onto Division Street and kept on speeding.

The officer followed and watched him drive through the intersection at Kenyon Avenue without “slowing or braking whatsoever,” according to a police report.

Once stopped near First Avenue, Verte reportedly “admitted to having been drinking, and also that he was sorry for speeding and going through the stop sign.”

He also “immediately began to ask for a break and mentioned that he has state trooper friends and also referenced his cousin on Woonsocket PD,” the police report stated.

Verte failed a field sobriety test at the scene and was taken into custody without incident.

In addition to the DUI charge, Vetre was cited for refusing a chemical test. He is due to appear in court on Feb. 27 for a pretrial conference after pleading not guilty to the DUI charge in Third Division District Court on Feb. 20.