WARWICK, RI — Officer Alfred Silveira was on Post Road headed north Nov. 25 at 12:25 a.m. when he spotted a white 2017 Porsche headed south, traveling 58 mph in a 35 mph zone, pulled a U-turn and pulled the driver over, arresting him on a DUI charge.
Silveira spoke with the driver, identifying him as Viktor Kozhanov, 45, of 2517 E. 22nd St., Brooklyn, NY. Kozhanov said he had been on his way to the hospital to see a player on his hockey team who had suffered an injury during a game earlier that day, according to the officer’s report.
As the two spoke, Silveira noted a strong odor of alcohol coming from the driver’s breath, and also saw that his eyes were bloodshot and his face was flushed. Kozhanov denied having had any alcohol when Silveira asked if he’d been drinking earlier, and told the officer he did not understand him because he was Russian, according to the report.
Silveira said that while Kozhanov’s nationality was not a concern for him, the officer did suspect him of driving under the influence of alcohol, and asked him to perform sobriety tests.
During the tests, Kozhanov demonstrated a lack of smooth pursuit and involuntary eye movments in his vision, used his arms for balance and nearly fell over several times while performing a walk-and-turn test, and also used his arms and swayed during a one-leg-stand.
Silveira arrested Kozhanov on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, and transported him to Warwick Police Headquarters, 99 Veterans Memorial Dr., where he refused to submit to a breath test of his blood alcohol level.
Silveira charged Kozhanov with DUI, blood alcohol content unknown, cited him for refusing the alcohol test, and also charged him with speeding. He was released to a sober adult.
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 editor@warwickpost.com with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.
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