Swerving Driver Arrested on DUI Charge

WARWICK, RI — When multiple callers alerted Warwick Police to a black Subaru swerving  and running red lights on Main Avenue Jan. 20 at 7:34 p.m., they found it swerving, then stopped for 20 seconds at a green light, and arrested the driver on a DUI charge.

Officer Jedidiah Pineau found the Subaru on Main Avenue near Greenwood Bridge, then watched it drift across the lanes before stopping at a red light, pausing about 20 seconds after it turned green before making a left onto Inman Avenue before pulling over to the right side of the street without any coaxing from the officer.

Officer Nataniel Gray arrived on the scene, finding the Subaru stopped and Pineau speaking with the driver, identified as Tracy Damico, 57, of 100 Don Ave., Rumford, RI.

Pineau spoke with the driver, who said she had had drank two drinks at the Greenwich Oyster Bar in East Greenwich that night, according to Gray’s report. The officer noted her speech was slurred .

Officer Oliver Pinheiro asked Damico to step out of her car to perform sobriety tests, which she agreed to do, after asking the officers, “Why are you guys doing…Why are you doing this?” Pinheiro noted a strong odor of alcohol coming from Damico as she spoke, according to the officer’s report.

After getting out of the car, Damico was unsteady on her feet, according to the report, nearly stumbling over many times and holding onto her car for support, according to the report.

During the tests, Damico failed to perform the vision test, was unable to walk a straight line as instructed and was also unable to safely balance on one leg during a one-leg-stand test. Gray arrested her on suspicion of DUI and transported her to Warwick Police Headquarters, 99 Veterans Memorial Drive, where she refused to take a breath test of her alcohol level.

Gray charged Damico with one count of DUI, blood alcohol content unknown, with a court date in Third District Court on Feb. 4, then was released to the custody of a sober adult.