Crime & Safety
Middletown Family Outraged After DUI Arrest
A Middletown family expresses anger after a man is arrested a second time 30 years after a major accident.
The Coffey family of Middletown is outraged after the second arrest of Michael Faria nearly 30 years after an accident dramatically altered the Coffey family's lives.
Neil Coffey tells WPRI 12 about how his 9-year-old daughter Meredith suffered a permanent traumatic brain injury after an accident in 1983.
The accident involved Faria, who was convicted then on a reckless driving charge, reports WPRI.
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Now, nearly 30 years later, Faria has been arrested again and charged with drunk driving.
Faria, 55, of Portsmouth, was arrested on July 15 at 1:15 a.m. at his home after a motor vehicle crash on Dexter Street.
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A vehicle had struck a parked car and fled the area at 12:38 a.m. However, the vehicle left behind a piece of evidence — its license plate.
Police tracked the license plate back to its owner, Faria.
According to police, Faria failed a field sobriety test and, after being transported to the police station, failed a chemical test. He was arrested and charged with driving under the influence or DUI. He is due back in court on Aug. 16.
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