Watson Case Heads To Trial In Conn.

The former state representative for East Greenwich is facing charges of drunk driving and possession of marijuana from an incident in April 2011.

Former state Rep. Bob Watson of East Greenwich will proceed to trial on drunken driving and possession of marijuana charges stemming from an April 2011 stop at a sobriety checkpoint in East Haven, Conn., the Providence Journal reported Wednesday. Watson failed to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors Tuesday in his final conference before trial. He is expected to go on trial in January in Superior Court in New Haven, according to his lawyer, Jack O’Donnell. Watson was pulled over during a routine sobriety check point set up on Friday evening, April 22, 2011, in East Haven. According to the police report, Watson had slurred speech and appeared to be intoxicated. He failed a field sobriety test and police found a small bag of marijuana …

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EG Rep. Watson Vindicated For Lone No Vote On 38 Studios Deal

The Republican was the only state legislator to vote against the deal to give Curt Schilling's now-faltering video game company a $75 million guaranteed loan in 2010.

East Greenwich state representative Bob Watson, who's had nothing but bad press in recent months, suddenly looks like the smartest guy in the room, having cast the only "no" vote in 2010 on the deal to give Curt Schillings' 38 Studios video game company at $75 million guaranteed loan. The company missed a $1 million loan payment earlier this month. The issue has claimed one political victim so far — Economic Development Commission head Keith Stokes resigned on Wednesday. Watson, a guest on NPRI's Political Roundtable Friday morning, recalled saying the deal was "too loose, too fast, and a scandal waiting to happen." He continued, "Back on April 13, 2010, I warned our house colleagues that thier vote that day could set in motion things …

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Local GOP Gears Up

EG Republican Town Committee musters as election season begins.

Former gubernatorial hopeful John Robitaille pointed it out during a speech to local GOP town committee members last Thursday night at Caprice: East Greenwich is home base for the R.I. Republican party. Counting up EG’s local and state elected officials, it’s hard not to agree. In a state where Democrats hold most of the power, Republicans lay claim to all three state legislator posts, all five Town Council seats, and six out of seven School Committee positions in East Greenwich. Two nights after hosting a visit by Callista Gingrich, the EG Republican Town Committee gathered last Thursday evening to kick off the election season. With the primary just days away, they held a straw poll, charging $1 per “vote.” But, in this election anyway, …

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Rep. Watson Returns To State House

He says he is "feeling excellent" following a several-week stint in Florida for rehab and last week's court appearance for his January marijuana arrest.

Watson Pleads No Contest To Marijuana Possession Charge

When asked if he would run for re-election, Watson said, "I'm going to consider all options."

East Greenwich Rep. Bob Watson (R-Dist. 30) pleaded no contest to a charge of marijuana possession stemming from an incident Saturday, Jan. 21, in South Kingstown, when police found him with a baggie of marijuana and a pipe in a parking lot on Tower Hill Road. Watson entered a residential rehabilitation program in Massachusetts two days later, then transferred to a treatment facility in Florida. He was to have been arraigned Feb. 1. On that day, however, his lawyer, Timothy Williamson, told District Court Judge Mary McCaffrey he didn't know where his client was, only that he was in treatment for substance abuse. For the marijuana offense, McCaffrey fined Watson $200 and told him the court record will be filed for one year, during which …

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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.

State Rep. Bob Watson In Treatment In Florida

Watson’s lawyer returned to court Thursday with information on his whereabouts.

State Rep. Bob Watson (R-Dist. 30) is in a rehabilitation center in Florida, his lawyer Timothy Williamson told the court Thursday. Judge Mary McCaffrey had ordered Williamson to return to court on Thursday after he’d been unable to tell the court on the original court date Feb. 2 where his client was, other than that Watson was “out of state” in treatment. On that date, Judge McCaffrey had called Williamson’s lack of knowledge about his client’s whereabouts “a bit unusual.” Watson was arrested on Jan. 21 in South Kingstown and charged with possessing marijuana after he drove into a parking lot on Tower Hill Road, nearly hitting a snow plow operator. He entered substance abuse rehab on Jan. 23 at an undisclosed location. According to …

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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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Watson's Arraignment Continued; Treatment Whereabouts Unknown

Rep. Bob Watson does not appear in court for his drug possession charge.

East Greenwich Rep. Bob Watson, R-30, had his arraignment on marijuana possession charges continued to March 1 Thursday morning in South Kingstown. He was not in court. His lawyer, Timothy Williamson, told Judge Mary McCaffrey his client was in treatment out of state for substance abuse. Watson was arrested Saturday, Jan. 21, in South Kingstown after he was caught with a baggie of marijuana and a pipe in a parking lot on Tower Hill Road. Although the police report stated that Watson appeared to be very drunk and the snow plow operator who called 911 said he saw Watson drive into the lot and pull into a snowbank, police did not give the former House Minority Leader a field sobriety test or ask him to submit to a chemical alcohol-detection …

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EG Residents Mixed Over Whether Watson Should Resign

Rep. Bob Watson, already facing a trial on similar charges in Connecticut, is to appear in court on marijuana possession charges Thursday.