Newport Police Log: Man Arrested After Allegedly Punching Cab Driver

Man Arrested After Allegedly Punching Cab Driver

Jon B. Morgera, 46, of 205 Third Street Apt. R in Newport, was arrested around 11:40 p.m. Wednesday on a simple assault charge.

Police were dispatched to One Eighty on Broadway for a report that a cab driver had been assaulted, then chased the man to the area of the restaurant. Detectives spoke to the cab driver, who said he was in the area of White Horse Tavern when his customer, Morgera, paid five dollars for the cab fare, but then asked before exiting whether the driver was Islamic. Morgera then reportedly punched the driver in the back of the neck before leaving the cab and running towards Broadway.

Police found Morgera inside the restroom at One Eighty, where he denied touching the cab driver. Officers took him to the station for booking.

Newport Man Arrested After Alleged DUI, Fight with Father

Devon T. Harnett, 23, of 10 Peckham Avenue in Newport, was arrested around 11:55 p.m. Wednesday for two simple assault charges and drinking while driving.

Officers were dispatched to 10 Peckham Avenue for a report of domestic assault between a father and son. While en route on Broadway near Rhode Island Avenue, officers saw the son's vehicle pass and pulled him over for crossing the center line several times. Harnett allegedly got out of the car very unsteady, bleeding and sweating profusely. Harnett admitted to drinking and taking several oxycontin earlier, which he said were prescribed for a pinched nerve. He agreed to submit to field sobriety tests and based on his performance officers determined they had probably cause to arrest him for drinking while driving.

At the station, he was allegedly very uncooperative during booking, acting belligerently and taking an aggressive stance toward an officer at one point. Harnett at first denied the altercation with his father, but then admitted to attacking him. His father had told police he had tried to get his son and friends to quiet down in his garage, but eventually told them to leave, prompting Harnett to start swearing, then attack his father and his brother.

Middletown Man Arrested Following Fight on Thames Street

Mark Terrell Gonsalves, 39, of 84 Unity Drive Apt. B in Middletown, was arrested around 2:10 a.m. Thursday on charges of simple assault, disorderly fighting and resisting arrest.

Officers were reportedly outside Via Via around 1:51 a.m., where they observed approximately six men in a fight. Officers exited their vehicle and individuals began to flee from the area, but officers observed Gonsalves standing over another man and punching him. Officers ordered him away and attempted to pull him off the man, but Gonsalves allegedly turned with his right hand raised up like he was ready to swing at the officer.

The officer ordered him to stop again, and when he didn't, he fired a taser at Gonsalves' chest. Gonsalves reportedly hesitated briefly, but began acting up again, prompting the officer to deliver a drive stun to his upper left chest, forcing them to the ground. Gonsalves refused orders to put his hands behind his back and attempted to throw the officer off him several times. Officers had to force Gonsalves into the police cruiser, where he proceeded to hit his head and face against the metal window bars. He reportedly continued to act disorderly throughout booking.

Man Arrested For Allegedly Assaulting Girlfriend

Gerald Lyn McNeill, 48, of 143 Third Street Apt. 7A in Newport, was arrested around 2:35 a.m. Thursday on a domestic simple assault charge. Officers responded to the apartment and spoke to a woman who said McNeill, her boyfriend, had assaulted her.  As they spoke to her, McNeill reportedly returned and denied any altercation. Based on the victim's statements, police determined they had probable cause to arrest him. They took McNeill to the station for booking.

Drinking While Driving Charges

Sue A. Cruz, 53, of 439 Broadway Apt. C in Newport, was arrested around 11:43 p.m. for a drinking while driving charge. Officers located Cruz in her vehicle at the intersection of Dr. Wheatland Boulevard and Kingston Avenue. She reportedly was trying to get her vehicle to go in reverse, but was unable to do so due to damage to the passenger side tire.

Upon speaking to her, officers say they detected the odor of alcohol on Cruz's breath. She admitted to drinking that evening. After taking her license, registration and insurance information, an officer says he heard her yelling to people on the street "I am going to jail," explaining to them that she was drunk and hit a car.

Officers asked Cruz to step out of her vehicle, but she refused, and after two to three minutes, they opened her door and ordered her out. Cruz refused to submit to field sobriety tests. She was taken to the station for booking, where she also refused to submit to a chemical test.

Warrant Charges

• Daron S. Pailin, 44, of 2.5 Pond Avenue in Newport, was arrested around 6:10 p.m. Wednesday on charges of resisting arrest and for a warrant. Officers on patrol said they observed Pailin, whom they knew to have an active warrant, drive by a house several times, then at 6 p.m., pulled up and went in. He left a short time later and drove off, at which point officers stopped him and confirmed his warrant, but say he took off running south on Dr. Wheatland Boulevard. Officers chased after him and eventually caught up, taking him to the station for booking.

• Justin Titsworth, 19, of Warren, was arrested around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday on a Bristol affadavit and arrest warrant at Café Zelda on Thames Street.
• Ryan J. Perkins, 32, of 143 Third Street Apt. 3K, was arrested around 9:25 p.m. Wednesday, for a 2nd District Court bench warrant for failure to appear on an assault charge.

• Harry Pitre, 33, of 195 Admiral Kalbfus Road Apt. 22AA in Newport, was arrested around 4:25 p.m. Thursday on charges of resisting arrest and having an active bench warrant. Officers had located Pitre the day before at the Rolling Green Apartment complex, but say he fled from his vehicle after a stop. Officers went to his apartment on Thursday and spoke to a woman who answered the door, but said Pitre was not there. Upon checking the apartment, officers located him hiding in a rear bedroom closet under a pile of clothes. Officers ordered him to show his hands and exit, but say he refused and a struggle ensued. The woman said she hadn't been home all day and wasn't aware Pitre was hiding in the rear closet. He was taken to the station for booking.

The above reports detail arrests made by the Newport Police Department from Wednesday, Sept. 1, through the early morning hours of Friday, Sept. 3.  Descriptions of all events are based solely on police officer reports provided to Patch.