Conn. DUI Charges Against Bob Watson Dropped

The former state representative from East Greenwich was arrested on April 22, 2011.

Charges filed in Connecticut against former state representative Bob Watson of East Greenwich have been dropped, according to his lawyer in New Haven. "The state decided it couldn’t prove the DUI beyond a reasonable doubt," said attorney Charles E. Tiernan III Tuesday. "The prosecutor used his descretion and decided to drop the charges." News of the dropped charges was first reported by the Providence Journal Monday. Watson was arrested in East Haven on April 22, 2011, for driving while intoxicated and possessing marijuana. Tiernan had argued the urine test obtained after Watson's arrest was inadmissible because it had been taken more than two hours after Watson had stopped driving. In addition, he said the results were not given to …

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Police Log

DUIs, Disorderly Conduct & Spitting

Information about the following incidents was supplied by the East Greenwich Police Department. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.

Monday, April 30 1:40 p.m. — Police arrested Victoria L. Morton, 30, of South Pierce Road, for disorderly conduct and simple assault after she was involved in an argument with her sister, who had recently moved home. The fight got physical and the father of the women had to intercede. Morton was arraigned and released on $2,000 personal recognizance. She was issued a no contact order for her sister. Tuesday, May 1 8:20 p.m. — Police arrested John Taggart, 50, of West Warwick Avenue in West Warwick, on a Third District Court bench warrant. Police got a tip from an anonymous caller that Taggart was on Main Street. Taggart was processed and taken to the ACI. Friday, May 4 3:13 p.m. — Police arrested Jeremy Woodman, 31, of Mendon Street in …

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SK Police Internal Memo Cites Police Mishandling In Watson Case

An South Kingstown Police internal memo sent to a reporter by mistake says officer who stopped Rep. Bob Watson Jan. 21 is being disciplined.

Police Log

A Topless Driver & A Lousy Employee

Information about the following incidents was supplied by the East Greenwich Police Department. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.

Wednesday, Feb. 8 5:30 p.m. — Police arrested Ashley Rios, 24, of Mauran Avenue in East Providence, for driving with a suspended license after she was stopped because the car she was driving had registration stickers from Feb. 2010. Rios was able to show that her car was registered, but her drivers license turned out to be suspended. A passenger in the car also had a suspended license, so the car had to be towed from the seen. Both licenses were seized to be returned to the Registry of Motor Vehicles. 7:34 p.m. — Police picked up Corey Delekta, 30, of Arthur Avenue in East Providence, from Providence police headquarters on a warrant on charges of embezzling, larceny, and obtaining money under false pretenses while an employee of Bistro 9 …

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So. Kingstown Police: Watson Won't Face DUI Charge

The East Greenwich state representative, who was arrested Jan. 21 for drug possession, was not asked to complete a field sobriety test despite smelling of alcohol and drinking openly at the scene.

The South Kingstown Police Department has decided not to charge state Rep. Bob Watson (R-30) of East Greenwich with driving while intoxicated, saying in a press release: “The evidence presented significant legal issues that would have made a successful prosecution unlikely.” “It is very difficult,” said South Kingstown prosecutor Terrance Simpson Monday. “On a DUI case, there are certain things that need to be done immediately afterwards, at the scene and at the station.” Those things — a field sobriety test, a preliminary alcohol screening test and a breathalyzer — were not done by police the night of Saturday, Jan. 21. They cannot be replicated hours later with any accurancy, Simpson said. SK police responded to a call from a plow …

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Police Log

Arrests: Suspended Licenses & Strong Kicks

Information about the following arrests was supplied by the East Greenwich Police Department. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.

Monday, Jan. 23 10:43 a.m. — Police arrested Matthew Webster, 29, of Lafayette Drive for driving with a suspended license after police noticed the car he was driving on Main Street had no inspection sticker and out-of-date registration stickers. Police also found that his license plates were for a truck, not a passenger vehicle. Webster did not have a license and routine checks turned up two outstanding bench warrants for driving with a suspended license. Webster’s car was towed and the plates seized. He was processed at the station, issued a district court summons and citations and released. Thursday, Jan. 26 9:05 p.m. — Police arrested Gregory Koval, 27, of Carnation Street in Pawtucket, on two counts of disorderly conduct and domestic …

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Plow Operator Surprised Watson Wasn't Charged With DUI

State Rep. Bob Watson was arrested Saturday for marijuana possession, his second arrest in nine months.

John Timpson of Narragansett had just started plowing the parking lot at Washington County Veterinary Hospital on Tower Hill Road in South Kingstown Saturday night when a white Volvo missing a tire drove in, nearly hit him, then pulled up into a snowbank. Timpson, in an interview Monday, said the man — who turned out to be state Rep. Bob Watson, R-30, of East Greenwich — "got out and stumbled around a lot." "I walked over to him," Timpson recalled. "He reeked of alcohol. I told him, 'It would be a good idea for you to call somebody.' "I put the phone in his hand and he couldn't even call anyone," Timpson said. "I told him he wasn't going anywhere. My brother was with  me." That's when Timpson decided to call the police. Watson had told …

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Top Stories of 2011: News, Schools

From a DUI story that made national headlines to a tempest in a farmyard teapot, EG had lots of interesting news stories in 2011.

1. State Representative Bob Watson’s arrest and its fallout is still being felt, eight months after the fact. Watson, who represents East Greenwich and served as House minority leader at the time, was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of marijuana after he was stopped in a DUI checkpoint in New Haven, Conn., last April. Watson admitted to having the bag of marijuana but has said that he did not smoke it nor had he had too much to drink the night of the arrest. He said that he used the marijuana for medical purposes but had not registered with the state as a medical marijuana user. The subsequent firestorm prompted Watson to resign his majority leader position, but he has steadfastly maintained his innocence. Blood …

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Post Road Car Crash Injures Two; One Driver Charged With DUI

Nicholas Morin, 23, of Warwick was charged with driving under the influence.

Two people were injured and one of them was arrested after a two-car crash on Post Road in Cowesett Tuesday night, according to a story in the Providence Journal. The crash — described by police as a head-on, sideswipe collision — happened at 9:03 p.m. on Post Road at Ladd Street, just north of Division Street, Warwick police Lt. Michael Ford said.    Both drivers were extricated from their vehicles and taken to Rhode Island Hospital with “serious but not life-threatening” injuries, according to the Providence Journal. According to Ladd Street resident Kim Spooner, the crash sounded like a large dumpster hitting the ground. The driver of the southbound vehicle, identified as Nicholas Morin, 23, of 70 Sandrow Dr., Warwick, was charged with…

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Watson’s Lawyer Unable To Win Plea Deal In Conn. Court Thursday

East Greenwich state Rep. Bob Watson is accused of DUI and drug possession from an incident in East Haven, Conn., April 22

The lawyer for East Greenwich state Rep. Bob Watson, who was arrested in East Haven, Conn., on DUI and drug charges in April, made an unsuccessful attempt in court Thursday to settle the case with a plea bargain. Watson’s lawyer, Jack O’Donnell, met with Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph LaMotta in Superior Court Judge Karen Sequino’s chambers in New Haven Superior Court Thursday, but was not able to get an agreement with the prosecutor. O’Donnell confirmed that he had made a proposal, but he declined to describe it, except that it did not involve accelerated rehabilitation. Accelerated rehabililtation is when a first-time offender pleads guilty and his record is wiped clean a year later if he doesn't get into any other trouble. “…

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