WARWICK, RI — A 45-year-old Woonsocket man turned himself in at Warwick Police Headquarters, 99 Veterans Memorial Drive April 18 at 10:30 a.m., a day after eluding a police traffic stop on Centerville and Harding Roads, driving 60 mph in a 25 mph zone.
On April 17 at 5:10 p.m., Officer Derek Mourato spotted the driver of a gray 2002 Jeep Cherokee swerving toward the sidewalk, without a seatbelt, heading east on Centerville Road near Harding Road. The officer turned and, using his cruiser’s emergency lights, attempted to pull over the Jeep, according to the report.
The Jeep took an immediate right, preventing Mourato from following directly behind, so he pulled alongside the other driver and told him to pull over. The Jeep driver continued to ignore Mourato, turning right onto Harding Road as Mourato turned on his siren, Mourato reported.
The Jeep accelerated to 50-60 mph on the winding, tree and rock-lined road, and Mourato ended the pursuit out of concern for public safety, he reported.
Mourato checked the area for the Jeep but was unable to locate the vehicle. A check of the Jeep for previous stops turned up a photo of the driver, Brian Roy, 45, of 198 Wood Ave., Apt. 3, Woonsocket, who had a suspended license, which would have made his arrest on the offense his third for that violation.
At Warwick Police Headquarters, Mourato drew a warrant on Roy, and was alerted by RI State Police that they had found the Jeep abandoned at 390 Old River Road in Manville, RI. At about the same time, Mourato learned that the Jeep’s owner, Denise Vazques, reported the Jeep stolen.
Vazques said she had received a call from Roy saying that he had abandoned the Jeep after a chase with the WPD, and that she should report it stolen. A Woonsocket K-9 unit searched for two miles from the Jeep’s location, but was not able to find Roy. The Woonsocket Police later alerted Mourato that they had reached Roy on the phone, and he had agreed to turn himself in the next day with his lawyer at Warwick Police Headquarters.
Roy showed up April 18 at 10:30 a.m. as promised, and Warwick Police charged him with reckless driving/eluding police, and driving on a suspended license. He was transported to Third District Court to be arraigned on the charges.
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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