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Police & Fire

Sunday, May 19, 2013

OMGPD: Raging Mad

Take a look at some of the more compelling police reports from around the state. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.

Hulk Smash? Getting arrested can be an incredibly angering experience for some. For one New Jersey man, the rage that followed his arrest could be described as…Hulk-ish?  Smithfield police arrested a 21-year-old man on DUI charges after he had allegedly crashed his car into a tree. At the police station, the man took a Breathalyzer test, then allegedly stood up from his chair, walked over to the sink and tore it from the wall, breaking the pipes attaching it. Police were able to subdue the man/Hulk impersonator with a Taser. When Your Alibi Needs an Alibi This week’s best fake alibi goes to a Providence man accused of robbery. When police caught up to the man who allegedly stole $341 from Kattan’s Market in Cranston, he told them he couldn…

Should DUI Limit Be Lowered To 0.05?

The National Transportation Safety Board recommends reducing the limit. Some say it would save lives. Others say it's unreasonable.

One drink could be the standard for drunken driving – at least for some people if the National Transporation Safety Board has its way. On Tuesday, the NTSB recommended states lower the blood-alcohol threshold for driving under the influence from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent. What do you think? Is the proposal reasonable? About 10,000 deaths a year are related to drunken driving. The NTSB says the lower limit would save 500 to 800 lives a year. Officials at the American Beverage Institute called the proposal "ludicrous." It said the average woman could reach the 0.05 percent limit by having one drink. There were 24 DUI fatalities in Rhode Island in 2012, which were 34 percent of traffic-related fatalities last year, according to Mothers …

Jack Baillargeron

11:55 am on Sunday, May 19, 2013

MADD is against the NTSB lowering it too .05 as stated this morning by the head of MADD.   more ›

Friday, May 17, 2013

TELL US: Did School Officials Do a Good Job Evacuating PHS?

Portsmouth High School was evacuated Wednesday for the second bomb threat in two days. What grade would you give Portsmouth school officials for how they handled the evacuation?

  Portsmouth High School students received early dismissal from school Wednesday after the school was evacuated for a bomb threat. The threat, a note referencing an explosive device, was the second found in two days. Portsmouth High School officials evacuated the school immediately and called Portsmouth police. Students and faculty were not allowed back inside the building to collect belongings for more than an hour. We want to know what you think about how Portsmouth school officials handled the evacuation. We asked the question on Portsmouth Patch's Facebook page Thursday. Here's what a few had to say: Mary Ann Oesterle Smith No it was a mess! Chris Pierce Farley From the standpoint of communication I think that they did a good job. I am…

Jill Giggey

10:41 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013

I feel the school did a great job under the circumstance however I suggest that the district enhance drills so that the kids are clearly aware of where their bus will be or what the protocol is alternately. My children also could not locate their bus and walked home.   more ›

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Fire Warning Issued for Thursday

Winds are expected to pick up to at least 30 mph in the afternoon.

  The National Weather Service is warning of the potential for brush fires in the area Thursday afternoon and night. Counties across Eastern and Central Massachusetts and Rhode Island are under the fire warning. Winds are expected to pick up to at least 30 mph in the afternoon. The wind coupled with “low relative humidities” will cause the risk of fire, according to the NWS.

Driver in Cumberland Farms Rollover Charged With DUI

The following is based on reports from the Portsmouth Police Department. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.

  Jay Catalan, 50, 34 Hillside Road, Portsmouth, was arrested, and charged with driving under the influence and refusal to submit to a chemical test after his truck landed on its side at Cumberland Farms Monday. Portsmouth police and fire officials responded around 4:10 p.m. to the Cumberland Farms near Sprague Street and East Main Road for a report of a "rollover."  Police say Catalan was operating the vehicle southbound on East Main Road when he attempted to make a turn onto Sprague Street. Catalan lost control of the vehicle, which landed on its side.  Officers detected a strong aroma of alcohol coming from the driver.  Catalan was transported by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital, where he allegedly refused a Breathalyzer test. He was …

Local Woman

12:39 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013

Drinking and driving is not a bad thing happening to a good person; It is a stupid, stupid, stupid stunt pulled by an incapable idiot choosing to be reckless, irresponsible, and an endangerment to our community. And with the injuries listed conjoined with inebriation, how could he possibly have been conscious enough to even refuse anything? It makes no sense; with an injury list to that extent, …   more ›

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

UPDATE: Portsmouth High School Evacuated After Bomb Threat

A note warning of an explosive device was found in the school. No one is being allowed in the building.

Portsmouth High School was evacuated at 1:15 p.m. today after a note warning of an explosive device was found in the school, Superintendent Lynn Krizic confirmed.  The school department sent a robo call to parents to inform them of an early dismissal due to the threat, the second bomb threat in as many days at the school. Students were not allowed back into the building, even to recover their belongings. No one is being allowed in the building at this time, Krizic said. All afternoon activities, including sports, have been cancelled. No decision has been made on evening activities. Update at 2:35 p.m.  Portsmouth High School students and faculty are now being allowed back into the school to retrieve bags and other personal items. …

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Kevin Camp

9:05 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013

They call the incident at URI a "Gunscare" , when there wasnt even a gun........So, there isnt a bomb so this must be a "Bombscare"   more ›

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Bomb Threat Prompts Police Search at Portsmouth High School

Police searched Portsmouth High School on Monday night after a note was found in the school.

  Portsmouth High School students arrived to school this morning to police officers patrolling campus after a suspicious note was found in the school Monday night.  The note, according to an e-mail sent out to parents by Portsmouth High School Principal Robert Littlefield, referenced "an explosive device in the building."  Rhode Island State Police and their K-9 team searched Portsmouth High School last night, but discovered no device.  School resumed on Tuesday morning; however, police are on campus this morning as a safety precaution.  Featured here is the e-mail, posted verbatim, which was sent out to Portsmouth High School parents this morning.  I want to alert all members of the Portsmouth High School community of some events that …

TAMORI

1:51 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Jill, I understand what you’re saying. We sent our kids too. But I can understand their discomfort in the salutation. And again…you just never know. Maybe the note discovered by the custodian was intended to be discovered later, in the morning when the school was full of students…and maybe there never was actually an explosive device. BUT, when the school would have been evacuated upon the note’s…   more ›

Police Find Heroin, AK-47 in Portsmouth Woman's Apartment

The following is based on reports from the Portsmouth Police Department. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.

  A Portsmouth woman was arrested Friday after police discovered bags of heroin, an AK-47 and other illegal weapons in her Child Street apartment.  Mary Connell, 60, of 22 Child St., Apt. A, is accused of selling heroin out of her Portsmouth apartment.  Detectives had been watching the Child Street residence for several months. During one point, Connell was seen delivering heroin to an informant, according to Portsmouth police.  On Friday, police conducted a search of the residence. Officers seized the following: small packages of heroin; more than $2,000 in cash; more than three ounces of marijuana; and several weapons, including an AK-47, a rifle and a 25-caliber handgun.  Connell did not possess permits for any of the weapons at the …

ralph

2:20 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013

@Local Women- that is correct on a license to possess(owning) a weapon. There is no reg requiring this. Automatic weapons are not permitted in RI, unless you are a licensed dealer. Other parts of the country an individual can. There is an application process and take a safety course(handgun) to buy a weapon in the state of RI.   more ›

Portsmouth Woman, 78, Dies After Head-On Vehicle Crash

A Portsmouth woman was pronounced dead at Newport Hospital Monday after a head-on vehicle crash on West Main Road near Raytheon.

  A Portsmouth woman, 78, was pronounced dead at Newport Hospital Monday morning after sustaining injuries in a head-on crash on West Main Road in Portsmouth.  Portsmouth police officers responded to West Main Road near Locust Avenue for a motor vehicle accident at 10 a.m. Monday.  A 2001 Chevrolet Malibu was travelling south on West Main Road when it crossed over the double-yellow lines near Locust Avenue and collided head-on with a 2008 Isuzu Box truck, police said.  Portsmouth Rescue crews used hydraulic tools to remove the woman trapped in the vehicle.  The operator of the Chevrolet Malibu, a 78-year-old woman from Portsmouth, was transported to Newport Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The name of the victim is being withheld at…

mike

6:29 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013

When will the state put a light at locust ave this is the 3rd or 4th death near hear?   more ›

Pickup Truck Lands on Side at Cumberland Farms

A white pickup truck ended up on its side around 5 p.m. Monday.

  To say it was a busy day for Portsmouth Fire and Police Department personnel is an understatement.  After multiple vehicle crashes near the Sakonnet River Bridge and a fatal crash on West Main Road, a third major incident occurred just as the working day came to a close.  A white pickup truck ended up on its side around 5 p.m. on the corner of East Main Road and Sprague Street, next to Cumberland Farms.  Portsmouth Fire Department received multiple 911 calls reporting a “roll over” accident at the intersection of East Main Road and Sprague Street, according to Portsmouth Fire Deputy Chief Michael O'Brien.  "Firefighters arrived to find a single male patient trapped in the vehicle, which was resting on its passenger side," O'Brien wrote …

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