Officer Arrests Driver, Dozing in Jeep in Street, on DUI Charge

WARWICK, RI — Officer David Boardman was called to the area of 1645 Warwick Ave. April 22 at 1:35 a.m. for a report of a driver asleep at the wheel of a Jeep sitting in the middle of the south lane, waking the Providence man and arresting him on a DUI charge.

Boardman found the Jeep, a silver 2009 Grand Cherokee, in the middle of the southbound lane of Warwick Avenue, blocking the entrance to the Gateway Plaza parking lot. The driver was slouched over the Jeep’s center console, and appeared to be sleeping.

Officer Alfred Silviera joined Boardman and together the two wakened the driver by banging on the window of the vehicle for several minutes. Eventually, they managed rouse the man and get him to turn off the Jeep and roll down his window.

Boardman spoke with the driver, identified as Edrick Ramsey, 45, of 20 Klondike St., Providence, RI, according to the officer’s report. Boardman also noted Ramsey had removed one of his shoes and was holding it in his lap, that his eyes were bloodshot, and his demeanor was lethargic.

“While speaking with Ramsey in his vehicles, he continued to nod off, falling asleep and waking again,” Boardman wrote in his report.

Ramsey told the officer he had not had any alcohol that night, but had smoked marijuana.

Boardman invited him to a series of sobriety tests, during which Ramsey appeared perpetually on the verge of falling asleep again. Ramsey did not exhibit signs of impairment during the vision test, but began to lean forward as if he were falling over, his eyes closing then opening, as if he were falling asleep, according to the officer’s report.

Ramsey performed the Walk and Turn test extremely slowly, Boardman reported. As he walked he raised his feet very high and placed them very slowly. “It almost appeared as if he was ‘moon walking,’ ” the officer wrote in his report.

The driver hopped several times while attempting to stand on one foot.

When asked if he’d taken any prescription or illicit drugs, Ramsey told the officer he had used marijuana and he had “dabbled with five lines” earlier that day.

Boardman arrested Ramsey on suspicion of being unfit to operate his Jeep. A search of Ramsey’s person turned up a spoon, which was burnt, with brown residue that was too small for testing. Ramsey said he had used the spoon to eat earlier that night.

A check of the Jeep showed it was not registered. Shea’s Towing towed it to their location, and Boardman transported Ramsey to Kent County Memorial Hospital for a blood test, which he refused.

Boardman charged Ramsey with Driving Under the Influence of drugs/alcohol (DUI) , first offense, with a Third District Court date of May 9. Boardman also cited Ramsey for refusing the test, operating an unregistered vehicle, and improperly stopping in a roadway.