how do they know mike was drunk at the time of the aleged loosing of license plate? what if mike had a minor fender bender and thought no damage wow i need a drink AFTER that? went home and had a beer or two. cops show up and say your are suspected of a dui??????????? i am at home...... strong case to fight and win with a smart lawyer! Just how can the state prove without a shadow of doubt that mike was drunk at the time he misplaced his plate. they cant!!!!

Kim B - I'm glad your dealings have all been positive as this was not the case with me & I am entitled to my opinion... While I did not name anyone publicily, you just outed your friend of 15 years....Rude, don't ya think?

Thank god nobody was hurt. This could have been a very very bad incident.

There were more comments here made about this incident (including one from me-- whose property where the hit-and-run took place) that have been removed. Why is that? Why is this man being protected by the town like this? We have learned he has had multiple DUI arrests and is still driving around town and somehow that is ok?

Why are some of the comments regarding this deleted? Some were from an eyewitness on the scene...Was it because his name was mentioned? The Patch reported his name & address... Censorship? tsk tsk Patch...

Hi Rebecca and portsmouthgirl63. No, the comments were not removed because his name was mentioned. The comments were removed due to masked profanity and personal attacks against a user, which violate the Terms of Use. You can review the Terms of Use here on the site - http://portsmouth.patch.com/terms

I just read the article that was in yesterday's Newport Daily News regarding the 1983 drunk driving accident that Mr. Faria was responsible for that forever changed a Middletown family. Shocking and very scary. Lets all hope this guy gets some jail time for this and not a slap on the wrist!

aqisland, thank you for your support. It was my family that this happened to so many years ago, and yet here we are, 29 years later and this man is still engaging in the same reckless, selfish behaviors. It is disgusting and infuriating and something needs to be done to stop this "leopard" who clearly will never change his spots. It is too late for my sister, whose life and bright future was ruined by this man's blatant irresponsibility (and who, incidentally, has never once shown an ounce of remorse - not a single "I'm sorry" to my sister or to my parents who have endured years of worry and pain as a result of this man's thoughtless act), but the time has come for our legal system to step up and hold this man accountable for his actions, before he injures another person, or worse, takes a life. It could happen to you, or anyone else reading these comments. Nice guy? Ha. He is a true menace to society who needs to be stopped, once and for all.

A true calamity. He destroyed a life and a family's way of life. He is walking around our town unscathed. He continues his irresponsible ways. He will likely get off without a DUI this time (let's face it, his lawyer is presenting a plausible legal case). That doesn't mean that, as a community, have to keep accepting his ways. He is a true menace to our community, he is still driving our streets, reaping the benefits of our decent living and abusing our system. I'll be paying attention.

My heart breaks for the Coffey Family. I do not understand how this man still has his drivers liscense. The legal system failed this Family and I hope it does not fail again.

Also, if you read the article in the Daily News, not only is the homeowner SEE him behind the wheel, the guys OWN girlfriend confirmed he was driving. Everyone was ready to HANG the Whiehouses kid. WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE FOR THIS??? He crippled a child and destroyed a whole families way of life!! Do you think they have EVER gotten over this? Mentally or financially??

*Whitehouse

Back in the late 70's or early 80's Mike Faria was in another bad accident on East Main Rd. after drinking at the jumping derby at the glen. I can't remember the details but wasn't someone killed or brain damaged. That should have been his wake up call.

If anyone is interested, here is a link to my dad's interview on Channel 12 yesterday afternoon, and he will appear again today on Channel 10:

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/east_bay/reckless-driver-arrested-again-on-dui

The real outrage here is, in the State of Rhode Island, a request can be made for a DUI to be expunged from your record after 10 years. So despite the horrific impact that this remorseless man's actions had on my family, this latest accident is considered his first offense, and any charges that stick will amount to nothing more than a slap on the wrist. It's as if in the eyes of the law, what happened to my family, and to my sister, never happened and has no bearing on how a sentence will be passed down, if any. That's why we're outraged, and everyone else should be, too. This shouldn't be allowed to happen, and we need more stringent laws as far as drunk driving offenses go.

Per R.I.G.L.: Felony Convictions - Section 12-1.3-2(c) - "a person may file a motion for the expungement of records relating to a felony conviction after ten (10) years from the date of the completion of his or her sentence."

Many people who are charged with DUI end up having the cases dismissed, especially if it is their first offense. You can see plenty of others who have accomplished this by logging on to courtconnect.courts.state.ri.us. There is even a Newport resident named William Coffey born in 1977 who had a DUI disposed of in 1997...hummm....underage DUI dismissed....very interesting, isn't it?

Some people learn from their mistakes, and some people don’t!
The facts of the matter is that mike got behind the wheel and destroyed a little girls life, and sure he was young and made a mistake as we all do, but if he has a conscience, he would never get behind the wheel after drinking again period. He should never be caught doing anything remotely similar. Some people learn from their mistakes and take responsibility and appropriate action to improve themselves. Some people just don’t. Mike clearly has a problem with alcohol, but is not smart enough to address the problem, or at least get someone else to drive. So the question is how many chances do these people deserve. Mike drove into a parked car and pushed it so far down the SIDE STREET that it was reported stolen. I can just see my little boy out for a ride in his little fisher price car, and, well lets not picture that. I’m all for second chances, but not for third and fourth etc. From what I understand, mike has had many other incidents which are not on record involving injuries. So how many chances do we give him, and at what expense? Another child? What kind of community are we if we support that kind of behavior?

But, in the interest of full disclosure, DG, or Dolly, you are correct with your “discoveries”; my brother was 6 years old at the time Michael Faria plowed into our car head-on traveling approximately 90 mph as estimated by investigators. Bill, the only one who somehow wasn't physically injured, was deeply impacted emotionally by the things he saw and experienced as a result of said crash, seeing things that no person should ever have to witness, let alone a 6 year old boy (and not just "my word", but coming from mental health professionals who worked with him). As a result, he made some very poor decisions in his late teens; no one has ever denied that. His arrest was a matter of public record – never hidden, never denied - and yet another blow in the series of blows my parents and family have had to deal with since the day Michel Faria forever changed our lives.

You are correct in that we do thank God every day that the Newport Police stopped my brother and prevented him from destroying the lives and future of an innocent young family like Michael Faria did to ours – again, we are not denying that what he did was wrong - , and my parents were particularly vocal with their feelings of relief that he didn't hurt anyone else, or himself, as a result of his terrible judgement. Just in case it is not abundantly clear to you at this point, let me reiterate that by no means has any of us ever condoned or made excuses for his behavior – least of all my brother himself – and my parents were extremely outspoken to that effect. The difference here is that my brother, more than half a lifetime later, has done a complete 180, recognizing that he had a serious problem and getting the help he so desperately needed. I wish I could say the same for your friend, Michael Faria, who 29 years later, is still engaging in the same behaviors he was when he was 26 years old. That is the real issue here.

What I will give you is this: as I incorrectly stated yesterday, in the State of Rhode Island, you do not have to request that your DUI conviction be expunged from your record, it is automatically done so after 10 years; so, nothing “sneaky” on my brother's behalf, or your friend, Mike's, so I do stand corrected. But since it's Mike who is facing scrutiny here, I'm going to shift my focus back where it rightfully belongs, on a man who hasn't once expressed an ounce of remorse, offered so much as an “I'm sorry” to those whose lives he's impacted, or made any effort to change his ways in 29 years. If at any point you have the courage to reveal your true identity and wish to discuss my brother and his struggles further – like the agonizing ambulance ride I just learned of, that he and my then 7-year old sister had to take to Newport Hospital along with Michael Faria, listening to him swear and moan and groan the entire way about how much pain he was in, and give the paramedics who were trying to help him a hard time before he was found to have a blood alcohol level of .215 two hours after the accident occurred – any of us would be more than happy to sit down and chat with you. Or, perhaps you'd like to meet my sister, if you haven't already.

Finally, if you believe that these are the types of qualities that makes up a “great guy” and what you are looking for is to further stir-up trouble, I respectfully beg to differ and can assure you I won't dignify any of your further posts with a response if they even remotely support the menace who ruined my sister's life and stole away the childhood my siblings and I rightfully deserved. It is obvious that you want to rank my brother's mistakes right along side Faria's, but really, and as someone very aptly put it, although what my brother did was absolutely wrong, there's bad, and then there's worse. I am not looking to get into a debate with you or defend myself or any member of my family any further; the facts about this man's history and character speak for themselves. We did not ask for any of this to be dredged-up again; it is heart-wrenching and nauseating and the equivalent of having salt poured in a wound to have to relive this all over again. For you, this discussion seems like nothing more than an opportunity to poke at me with a stick and shift the focus off of the real issue here, and I refuse to put any further effort into this conversation with you. We as a family are dedicated to each other and believe in standing up where it counts, and here we are, as difficult as it is. If this happened to someone from your family, DG, you'd be speaking out, too, wouldn't you? Thanks so much for your strong showing of compassion, DG, it is truly heartwarming.

It was my car that Mr. Faria totaled. Just moments before he plowed into it I was standing behind the car getting items out of my trunk. And my young son was on the way to the car when Mr. Faria, driving on the wrong side of the road, struck it and pushed it down the block in his attempt to escape. We were both only seconds away from being killed...dragged under a car and slammed into a utility pole. My son almost lost his life walking out to our car in a "safe" family neighborhood! To think I could now be dealing with what the Coffey family has had to... or even worse...is devastating.That just as easily could have been any of you or your children. Mr. Faria never even stopped to see if anyone was hurt, nor did he ever offer help with my car or the numerous extra expenses, inconveniences, and hardships I incurred due to his selfish and irresponsible actions. And now he may be pleading not guilty! Mr. Faria's BAC was .194, twice the legal limit!

I think the maximum penalty for a "First Offense" -- a year in jail-- would give Mr. Faria time to rehab and hopefully to reflect on how he has negatively impacted other people's lives. Unfortunately RI expunges drunk driving convictions after only 5 years (not ten), so I don't believe there is really any way for The Court to give a sentence for other than a "First offense". Hopefully the judge will consider his past and give that maximum penalty though. What you can all do is show up at the courthouse on the 16th, as well as to contact your state representatives and demand a change in the law before a member of your own family is killed or injured because guys like this keep getting off.

Trying one last time, portsmouthgirl63. I hope you receive this and will contact me. Thank you.

Hi, portsmouthgirl63,

I have been trying to contact you on the "Message Board" or whatever the Patch calls it since August 29th, but for some reason it won't go through. Trying again...

I'm not sure if you've read about it in the papers lately, but my family was the one who was hit by Michael Faria in 1983 when he was driving drunk on East Main Road. The accident left my sister permanently disabled with a traumatic brain injury and as you can imagine, it completely destroyed our family's way of life. To read that this happened again was unbelievable and has brought up so many extremely painful memories for us all.

Would it be possible for you to contact me off-Patch so I could ask you a quick question? I promise I won't take up much of your time. My email address is: elizwcoffey@hotmail.com

Thanks so much for considering it.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Coffey Behan