Fleeing Lawn Driver Stopped, Charged With DUI

WARWICK, RI — Warwick Police responded to a call about a black Nissan driven onto a Ninigret Street lawn Aug. 11 at 6:18 p.m., stopping  and arresting the fleeing lawn driver.

Police arrested Erik Sousa, 35, of 1208 Elmwood Ave., Providence, charging him with DUI and citing him for refusing a test of his blood alcohol level.

Officer Michael Rosa and two other officers responded to the call, finding the caller, who elaborated on the report, saying the Nissan had driven onto her lawn and struck a white Kia parked in the driveway.

The woman said the fleeing lawn driver, Sousa, had appeared disoriented as he pulled back into the street and began to pull away. Before he could, Officer Jordan Guyton stopped the Nissan, Rosa reported.

When the officers spoke with Souza, he claimed to be in East Providence, and suggested the reason he’d been reported to police was because the caller didn’t recognize his car. When asked if he’d drank alcohol, Souza said he hadn’t and that he doesn’t even take Advil, accordng to the officer’s report.

During their conversation, Rosa reported smelling alcohol on his breath, seemed to be having trouble speaking and recalling details, and was having trouble keeping his balance. Rosa asked him to take sobriety tests.

During the tests, Souza demonstrated a lack of smooth pursuit in his vision, stepped off-line and used his arms to balance during a walk and turn test and made three attempts at the one-leg-stand test, hopping backwards into the hood of his car on the third attempt, in the process of counting to 1. Rosa arrested him on suspicion of DUI, and transported him to Warwick Police Headquarters, 99 Veterans Memorial Drive, where he was processed, charged with DUI, blood alcohol content unknown, first offense, and cited for refusing the breath test. He also cited Souza for leaving the lane of travel when he drove onto the lawn.

Christian towing took Souza’s Nissan from the street.