RI State Police Charge12 Drivers & One Boater With DUI This Weekend

SCITUATE, RI — A boater was arrested Friday night on Great Salt Pond on Block Island. The charge was operating under the influence. And 12 motorists were also charged over the weekend with Driving under the Influence, state police said.

“With summer upon us, we want to send a strong message to everyone who lives in or visits Rhode Island: We will not tolerate motorists or boaters who operate under the influence of drugs or alcohol, putting others at risk,” Colonel Assumpico said.

The boating arrest occurred around 11:05 p.m. Friday, when troopers arrested Robert John Kinne, 32, of Deep River, Conn. He was also charged with Refusal to submit to a chemical test. The arrest occurred after his vessel was stopped on Great Salt Pond and escorted back to the dock by the New Shoreham Harbormaster and members of the Coast Guard. He also was cited for speeding and failing to follow rules of navigation for inland waterways.

Twelve others were arrested for driving under the influence over the weekend:

• Jose Hernandez, 54, of Pawtucket, was arrested about 2:35 p.m. Friday after troopers received calls for an erratic operator on Route 95 north in Providence. He was charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content greater than .15 (Phase 1: .275; Phase 2: .275) – which is more than three times over the legal limit of .08.

• Michael Marchetti, 30, of Warwick, was arrested about 9 p.m. Friday during a motor vehicle stop on George Arden Avenue. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and refusal to submit to a chemical test.

• Steven Clark, 24, of Glocester, was arrested around 11:50 p.m. Friday after troopers responded to a call for a wrong-way driver headed east in the westbound lanes of Hartford Avenue in Johnston. He was charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content greater than .15 (Phase 1: .158; Phase 2: .156). He also was cited for driving the wrong way.

• Manuel Corniel, 55, of Providence, was arrested about 12:35 a.m. Saturday after troopers received reports of an erratic operator on Route 95 South in Providence. He was charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content greater than .15 (Phase 1: .151; Phase 2: .149).

• Christopher Lohin, 31, of Glocester, was arrested about 12:55 a.m. Saturday during a motor vehicle stop on Pontiac Avenue in Cranston. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and refusal to submit to a chemical test.

• Brandon Howard, 25, of Providence, was arrested about 1:25 a.m. Saturday after his car struck a roadway sign on the ramp from Centerville Road to Route 95 north in Warwick. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and refusal to submit to a chemical test. He also was charged with violating the terms of his probation from a previous, unspecified charge.

• Eduardo De La Cruz, 21, of Woonsocket, was arrested about 2:50 a.m. Saturday following a traffic stop on Route 95 in Providence. He was charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content greater than .15, second offense (Phase 1, .189; Phase 2, .178). He also was wanted for violation of probation of a previous narcotics charge.

• Gerald Beyer, 27, of Woonsocket, was arrested about 3:10 p.m. Saturday after a minor crash on Route 295 South in Smithfield. No injuries were reported. Beyer was charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content of .10 to .15 (Phase 1: .139; Phase 2: .140).

• Tony Towsley, 50, of Alburgh, VT, was arrested about 6:35 p.m. Saturday during a motor vehicle stop at the intersection of Westside Road and Ocean Road in New Shoreham. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and refusal to submit to a chemical test.

• Jessica Wilcox, 31, of Providence, was arrested about 10:30 p.m. Saturday after a motor vehicle stop on Route 95 in Warwick. She was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and refusal to submit to a chemical test.

• Jorge Hernandez-Ruiz, 24, of Providence was arrested about 10:45 p.m. Saturday during a traffic stop on Heath Street in Providence. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and refusal to submit to a chemical test. He also was charged with obstructing a police officer; presenting false documents to a public official; and driving without a license – third offense.

• Michael Fitzgerald, 58, of Plainfield, CT, was arrested about 5:30 a.m. Sunday after troopers received reports of a one-car crash on the exit ramp for Exit 4 on Route 95 in Richmond. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and refusal to submit to a chemical test. He also was charged with driving with a suspended license; disorderly conduct; obstruction of a police officer; and failure to appear for payment review on a previous charge of driving under the influence.