WARWICK, RI — Warwick Police called to a home off West Shore Road March 3 at 1:20 a.m. for a fence hit & run by a red pickup in an apparent act of domestic violence, arrested the driver after a chase ending at the intersection of Lloyd and Gordon Avenues.
When officers arrived at the home near Warwick Veterans School, they found the fence had been completely destroyed by the pickup. Officer Connor Craig spoke with the property owner, who arrived after them, and did not know the fence had been struck when they arrived. The person said that they had dropped Dakota Cherms, 28, of 50 John St., Warwick, RI, off at his house earlier that night after attending a funeral in Charlestown together. The property owner said they informed Cherms they wouldn’t go into his house with him, and would instead head home. The person said that the two had been in an on and off relationship for the past eight years.
Cherms responded to the news that he would be going home alone by punching the property owner’s windshield, smashing it. Then he drove away in his red Dodge Ram pickup, the person said, according to the report by Officer Alyssa Comeau. Comeau noted the cracked passenger side of the car’s windshield.
The person became increasingly upset as they noticed the destroyed fence and large tire marks across the lawn, according to Comeau’s report. As the officer knocked on a neighbor’s front door to ask if there might be camera footage of the fence hit & run, she heard a screeching sound from the top of the hill on the street. A fellow officer told her the red pickup had returned, and she and Craig got into their respective cruisers to pull over the vehicle, according to the report.
With Craig leading and Comeau following, the officers chased the pickup onto West Shore Road, then right onto Canfield Avenue, left on Ruby Street, then right onto Lloyd Avenue before stopping at the intersection of Gordon Avenue, according to the report.
The driver, Cherms, got out of the truck, raised his hands, and approached the officers, who instructed him to lay down on the ground. Cherms didn’t do that, but kept his hands raised as the officers approached, then handcuffed him. They searched him for weapons then placed him in Craig’s cruiser. Comeau then returned to the home to complete paperwork with the property owner.
On the way to Warwick Police Headquarters, 99 Veterans Memorial Drive, Craig reported, Cherms began smoking in the rear passenger seat. Craig stopped the cruiser, took Cherms out, and relieved him of a lighter, a cigarette, and a bag of marijuana. He then placed Cherms back in the cruiser and proceeded to headquarters.
“Cherms was extremely combative in the prisoner compartment by kicking the windows and screaming,” during the ride, Craig noted in his report.
At headquarters, Craig charged Cherms with Domestic Violence Vandalism, 1st Offense, Domestic Violence Disorderly Conduct, 1st Offense, Reckless Driving, and Driving with a Suspended License.
Author: Rob Borkowski
Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.
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