NK Police Log: DUIs, Damaged Laptops & More

Multiple Cars Hit in String of Larcenies

Multiple cars in North Kingstown were broken into last week, all within about an hour of each other. In two incidents (one at the YMCA and another at Quidnessett Baptist Church) the suspect(s) smashed in a window and took a purse that was inside the car.

In another incident, a man’s car window had been bent back in an apparent attempt to enter the car. In that case, the victim believes the incident happened at the North Kingstown Free Library. Also around the same time on Wednesday night (between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.), there was another incident outside of Planet Fitness on Frenchtown Road.

'If I Can't Have It, Neither Will You'

James Bradley Tucker, 50, of 197 Valley St. Apt 2 in Woonsocket, was arrested Jan. 14 at 3:40 p.m. on charges of domestic vandalism and domestic disorderly conduct.

Tucker allegedly threw a Toshiba laptop multiple times after a woman refused to sign over ownership of the laptop to him, which she was renting from Rent-A-Center and planned to buy on a payment plan through the company. (Tucker claimed that the laptop was originally bought for him.) When the woman refused, Tucker allegedly said “If I can’t have it, neither will you.”

According to Tucker’s account of the incident, the woman was the one who threw the laptop after the two had an argument about their daughter. After the woman told him to leave, Tucker allegedly told her she’d “regret it” and that he would kill her when he gets out of jail, then left the house.

While the woman was giving police her statement at the , Woonsocket police contacted her, claiming that Tucker had filed a harassing phone call complaint against her. Woonsocket police eventually arrested Tucker after he left their department following the complaint filed in North Kingstown.

Argument Allegedly Spurred By Drunken Cooking

Christopher Paul Maxwell, 26, of 114 Kingswood Road, was arrested Jan. 17 at 9:30 p.m. on charges of domestic disorderly conduct and following a warrant for his arrest.

Maxwell allegedly got into an argument with a family member after he tried to cook a meal while intoxicated. According to the family member, Maxwell began to yell and scream at her and told her to mind her own business. At one point during the argument, Maxwell allegedly called police before dropping his phone on the ground. Also during the argument, the family member allegedly slapped Maxwell, prompting him to laugh at her and then push her. Another family member saw the push and allegedly tackled Maxwell to separate the two before Maxwell left the residence.

Man Huffs & Puffs His Way to Triple the Legal Limit 

Andrew Ruffner, 49, of 51 Parkside Way, was arrested Jan. 17 at 9:41 p.m. on charges of drunken driving and refusal to submit to a chemical test.

Police pulled Ruffner over following an anonymous tip regarding a drunk driver in the area of Lenox Court. Though Ruffner initially denied drinking that night, he later allegedly told officers he had been drinking beer prior to driving. During Ruffner’s field sobriety test, he allegedly told officers, “Hey guys, I’m all set. I live right down the road.”

Police then asked Ruffner if he would take a preliminary breath test at the scene, prompting Ruffner to allegedly “huff and puff and talk to himself about his options” before answering. After what one officer deemed “an audacious display of consternation and a brief exercise in self conflict” in his report of the arrest, Ruffner agreed to the test and allegedly blew a .215 percent — nearly triple the legal limit.

In Ruffner’s car, officers found a half empty bottle of Karkov vodka. Ruffner was transported to Kent County Hospital for mental health evaluation and was issued a summons to appear in Third District Court on Feb. 7.

Other Arrests...

John R. Tucci Jr., 29, of 1621 West Warwick, was arrested Jan. 14 at 8:17 p.m. on charges of using fraudulent checks. He is scheduled to appear in Third District Court on Feb. 7.