Warwick, RI – Officer Manuel Pacheco responded to a call for a crash in front of Larry’s Liquors at the corner of Warwick Avenue and Church Street Sept 30, with one of the drivers leaving the scene on foot, catching and arresting him on DUI and hit and run charges.
The call was reported as a crash between a maroon 1989 Chevy pickup truck and a red 2000 BMW, with the man leaving the crash on foot headed toward Coastway Credit Union.
Pacheco arrived in the area at about 5:04 p.m., checking for the man on foot while other officers responded to the crash. He found a man fitting the description of the fleeing driver, a bald man in a reddish-orange T-shirt, walking near 60 Fairway Lane, according to the officer’s report.
The officer spoke to the man, later identified as Edward Hartford, 51, 12 Model Ave., Warwick. Hartford told Pacheco he knew why he was being detained. When Pacheco asked him to explain, Hartford said he’d been parked at Larry’s Liquors, and pulled forward onto Church Avenue, then backed up, striking the BMW, according to the report.
Hartford said he’d left the scene of the crash because he didn’t have a valid driver’s license.
Pacheco noticed a odor of alcohol on Hartford’s breath, and that he had bloodshot, watery eyes and slurred speech. When asked if he’d been drinking, Hartford said he’d had four Budweizers at about 2:30 p.m., but had not had anything to drink since the crash.
Pacheco invited Hartford to perform sobriety tests, which he agreed to do, subsequently failing them. Hartford demonstrated a lack of smooth pursuit in his vision, stepped off-line and used his arms for balance during the walk-and-turn, and was unable to balance on one foot.
Pacheco arrested Hartford and drove him to Warwick Police Headquarters, where he registered a .187 and .170 result on the breathalyzer.
Pacheco contacted Hartford’s parole officer, who asked that he be held for the next session of District Court. He was charged with DUI, first offense, blood alcohol .15 or greater, failing in his duty to stop after a vehicle crash, and driving with an expired 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.
This is a test
