Newport Police Arrest Two for Attempting to Break into Ann Street Home

Newport police arrested a Fall River man and a Pawtucket man Tuesday after they reportedly tried to break into a home on Ann Street.

Enrique A. Rodriguez, 28, of 126 Plymouth Avenue in Fall River, and Tommy Gotay, 29, of 81 Arthur Street Apt. 18 in Pawtucket, were charged with attempted breaking and entering after they were caught near the scene shortly after 2 a.m.

According to the police report, officers were traveling on Spring Street around 1:23 a.m. when they observed Gotay and Rodriguez standing together on the corner of Spring and Ann streets. Earlier in the evening, police had been dispatched to Via Via on Thames Street because the two men were reportedly about to engage in a fight. The responding officer at the time warned them not to do so, then sent them on their way.

Officers say they turned the corner onto Ann Street to approach Rodriguez and Gotay, but the two men disappeared. Officers reportedly then heard a loud noise coming from the yard behind 34 Ann Street, and then watched Rodriguez reappear from the alley.

Police say they ordered him to the ground and handcuffed him for officer safety, then broadcast a request for a stop-and-detain order on Gotay.

Officers inspected the house at 34 Ann Street and located a screen that was torn away from the first floor window on the rear of the home. Plastic lawn chairs were stacked up directly below it and palm prints were visible on the window glass, where the window had been pushed up to open the pane. Officers say they also found a small, broken plastic table on the west side of the property that was pushed up against the wooden fence.

The resident of 34 Ann Street returned home and informed police that the window screen was not previously damaged and that the lawn chairs had not been left that way. He then went inside and noticed that two charging cords that are kept on the window sill were now on the floor, which police said indicated that entry may have been gained. Still, the resident said he did not find anything missing inside his home. The resident's roommate happened to be upstairs sleeping during the incident, but said he had the air conditioning on and hadn't heard anything that'd taken place.

Police returned to the patrol vehicle to speak to Rodriguez, who said he spends a lot of time in Newport and had followed Gotay into the rear of 34 Ann Street looking for a shortcut to Memorial Boulevard.

Meanwhile, another officer searched the area for Gotay. Officers say they looked onto Gidley Street and observed a person hiding behind some bushes in front of a red house. They waited for the person to come out, then noticed it was Gotay.

As he approached, the officer said he told Gotay to put out his cigarette, but he refused, and instead began nervously pacing back and forth. According to the report, Gotay then suddenly lunged at the officer, swinging his hand toward his face with the lit cigarette. The officer said he ducked to avoid the cigarette, then pushed Gotay back. Gotay then started running east up Gidley Street. The officer said he ordered Gotay on the ground twice, but he refused to comply. The officer then struck him once in the back of his right leg with his baton, yet Gotay continued running across Spring Street toward the front of St. Mary's Church. The officer said he grabbed Gotay in front of the church to put him on the ground, but Gotay attempted to get up and began yelling obscenities. The officer said he then struck Gotay twice in the right side of his body, using force necessary to get Gotay to stop resisting. When he yelled for him to get on his stomach, the officer said Gotay kept responding with obscenities, so he struck him again and at one point hit his left forearm as he raised it. The officer continued to try and place Gotay on his stomach, but he continued to struggle and turn away from the officer, at which point the officer says he delivered several punches to the left side of Gotay's face to get him to comply.

Another officer who was headed back to his vehicle for supplies then noticed the struggle, and went over to assist with handcuffing Gotay, prompting him to reportedly say "You guys got me. You guys got me." While searching Gotay on the scene, officers say they found $50 worth of marijuana and $100 worth of crack cocaine in his front pocket.

Due to the struggle that occurred, Gotay was transported to Newport Hospital for evaluation. There he was given X-rays and a CAT scan and found to have suffered a fracture to his left arm. While in the hospital, officers say Gotay made several statements about how he'd been drinking all night and had also been smoking woolies, which are weed and crack mixed together.

Gotay's arm was placed in a cast, and he was then taken to the station for booking, where he told officers he was coming off his high and had done too many drugs that night.

In addition to the attempted breaking and entering charge, Gotay was also charged with possession of crack cocaine, possession of marijuana, simple assault and resisting arrest. According to the report, Gotay denied having damaged the window screen at 34 Ann Street, but took full responsibility for the broken table, stating that he was trying to hop the fence to get away.