Crime & Safety
Snowplow Operator Charged with DUI in North Kingstown
Police said the man was driving west in the east lanes on Route 403 last night.
A snowplow operator stopped for driving the wrong way on Route 403 in North Kingstown Tuesday night has been charged with driving under the influence by the Rhode Island State Police.
John J. Cunha, 55, of 232 Partition St., Warwick, allegedly was drunk while driving his Dodge Ram pickup equipped with a snowplow at around 8:30 p.m. when he was stopped by a state trooper.
The trooper was heading west on Route 403 when he saw Cunha approaching.
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Cunha’s plow was not being used to plow snow when he was stopped, nor was he a state Department of Transportation subcontractor, the state police said in a release.
Cunha showed signs of being intoxicated and failed a field sobriety test at the scene, police said.
Find out what's happening in North Kingstownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
He was arraigned by a justice of the peace at the state police’s Wickford barracks and was released on $1,000 personal recognizance. In addition to the DUI charge, police charged Cunha with refusing a chemical test.
He is due to appear in Third Division District Court on Feb. 2.
Photo Courtesy: Rhode Island State Police
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