Johnston Police Log: Four Warrants, ATV on Cricket Field, Deer Struck

Arrested on Four Warrants:

Johnston Police reported the Dec. 1 arrest of a Johnston man on four separate active warrants, including three from Superior Court.

Ptlm. Jeffrey Fryer reported that he and Ptlm. David Loffler went to the home of David Law at 345 Simmonsville Ave. just before noon to locate him.

Fryer said he met Law's mother, Kathleen, who said "she did not know" where David was, and noted that Kathleen "continued to turn her attention away from me toward the direction of the bathroom."

After hearing what Fryer described as "a distinct noise from inside the bathroom," Loffler "opened the bathroom door and discover[ed] David Law inside."

The officers brought Law to the police station for processing, then turned him over to the Adult Correctional Institutions, Cranston.

According to online court records, Law had an active Providence Superior Court warrant for failing to appear at sentencing for violating the eight-year probation term set in 2007 following his no contest plea to a felony charge of larceny brought by the Providence Police Department; and another Providence Superior Court warrant for failure to appear at sentencing for violating a suspended sentence on a felony charge of drug possession, also in 2007.

In the second case, Law pleaded no contest to the charge on Dec. 17, 2007. Magistrate Joseph A. Keough imposed a six-year sentence, with 18 months to serve and 54 months suspended, with 54 months' probation.

At Law's sentencing on Nov. 2, Justice Kristin E. Rodgers ruled that he had violated the suspended sentence from the original case, withdrew probation, and sentenced him to one year to serve with 42 months suspended and probation.

Law is due to appear separate sentencing hearings for the two cases on Dec. 10.

Sixth District Court had also issued a warrant for Law for failure to appear at a payment review on Oct. 31 on a misdemeanor charge of domestic assault, to which he pleaded no contest on June 22, 2012.

In that case, brought by Johnston Police, Judge Frank Cenerini imposed an eight-month deferred sentence, a four-month suspended sentence and four months' probation.

Rhode Island State Police arrested Law on Feb. 24 for driving with a suspended license and turned him over to Johnston Police on a warrant alleging that Law had assaulted his ex-girlfriend on Feb. 10.

He is next scheduled to appear for a payment review on that case on Feb. 28, 2013.

ATV on Cricket Field:

Ptlm. Matthew Winsor reported that he and two other officers went to Cricket Field on Dec. 1 at about 1 pm after receiving calls about an all-terrain vehicle being driven on the field.

Winsor noted that he observed a white ATV parked in a nearby garage and that the four-wheel vehicle "was wet and covered with mud/dirt and the engine was warm," signs that it had recently been driven.

The homeowner, identified as John Caprio, 37, told Winsor that "he was just riding it to test out a new part that he had installed," adding that he "was not intentionally trying to damage the field," according to Winsor's report.

Winsor issued a citation for violating a town ordinance prohibiting motor vehicles on Cricket Field, and told Caprio that "criminal chares may be filed against him for vandalism."

As of publication of this article, no charges had been filed.

Two Deer Struck on Greenville Avenue:

In separate incidents about a day apart, two drivers reported that their cars had struck deer on Greenville Avenue.

On Dec. 1 at 12:30 pm, Winsor went to the area of 671 Greenville Ave. and found the car owned by Roy Francisco, of 840 Sanderson Rd., parked along the roadway.

According to Winsor, Francisco explained that he had been traveling west on Greenville when two deer ran out of the nearby woods.

Francisco said "he was unable to apply his brakes," and his car hit one of the deer, which apparently died following the accident.

Winsor noted that Francisco's car sustained damage to the passenger side door, and that Francisco was able to drive away from the scene.

The next day just before 5 pm, Ptlm. Michael Edwards responded to 790 Greenville Ave. for a report of a deer hitting two cars.

Lisa Begnoche, of 80 Beach Road, Pascoag, told Edwards that she had been driving east when the deer ran into her car. The second driver, Bernadette DiManna, of 135 Pleasant View Drive, Smithfield, told Edwards that the same deer then ran into her car.

Edwards reported that the deer apparently died following the collisions, and that both drivers were able to drive their cars from the scene.