DUI Charge for Driver Asleep at Wheel on Cumberland Road

WARWICK, RI — Police were called to the area of 215 Cumberland Road Oct. 13 at 5:06 p.m. for a report of a man in a blue 2018 Nissan Rogue stopped in the center of the road, slumped over the wheel, charging him with DUI.

Officer Johnathan DiPietro found the SUV stopped diagonally across the road in the travel lane, and WPD Sgt. Christopher Cote had already arrived and removed the man from the vehicle. Cote told him that he had found the man asleep, lying across the steering wheel, with the Rouge in park, still running, according to DiPietro’s report.

Cote said he called out to the man several times before waking him, and, once he was roused, told the man to turn off the ignition and get out of the Rouge.

DiPietro interviewed the driver, identifying  him as Taylor Parker, 39, of 31 Hagen St., Apt. 2, Providence. During their talk, DiPietro noted Parker was swaying on his feet, and that he smelled of alcohol. DiPietro asked if he’d been drinking, but Parker did not answer. The officer asked him to perform sobriety tests, which he agreed to.

During the tests, Parker demonstrated a lack of smooth pursuit in and involuntary eye movement in his vision. During a walk and turn test, Parker called DiPietro and Cote, “D**k head cops,” and told them to “Eat a bag of d**ks,” which did not aid him in the test, as he lost his balance and started too soon, DiPietro reporte. When asked if he wanted to keep trying the test, Parker said, “No, just take me to the ACI so I can see my friend,” according to the report.

As he was being placed in DiPietro’s cruiser, Parker continued encouraging the officers to consume genitalia. A check of his record showed Parker was wanted by Pawtucket Police for larceny under $1,500. As DiPietro conducted his background check, Parker continued yelling and hit his head on the plexiglass partition in the cruiser several times, DiPietro reported.

At Warwick Police Headquarters, Parker refused a breath test of his blood alcohol level. DiPietro charged him with DUI, blood alcohol unknown , first offense, and driving on a suspended license. He also cited him for refusing the breath test and operating a vehicle with a suspended registration. He was later released to Pawtucket Police.