Johnston Police Log

The Police Log is a digest of reports provided by the Johnston Police, Rhode Island State Police and other departments.

STOLEN VEHICLE

Patrolmen Kevin Lyons and Matthew Parkinson responded to the area of Myrtle Avenue on the morning of Sept. 25 for a report of a moped driving on the street with a small child.

Upon arrival, Lyons saw a moped take a left out of the Walgreens parking lot at the corner of Plainfield Street and Myrtle Avenue and begin traveling north on Myrtle Avenue at a low rate of speed. Lyons said the operator of the moped was a man with a small child sitting in front of him, neither of whom were wearing a helmet. Lyons detained the vehicle, identifying the driver as Keith Burns, 34, 15 Myrtle Ave., Johnston.

A RILETS check on the moped VIN number showed it to be stolen out of Boston, while another check revealed Burns’s suspended license and two prior convictions on the same charge. He was arrested on charges of felony possession of a stolen vehicle and operating with a suspended license.

Burns was arraigned and released on $3,000 personal recognizance until a pre-arraignment conference on Dec. 16. RECKLESS DRIVING

Patrolwoman Kayleigh Cooper was stopped at a traffic light on Killingly Street the evening of Oct. 1 when she noticed a moped in front of her without a registration plate and an operator and passenger not wearing helmets.

Cooper said the operator went left of center southbound on Killingly Street into oncoming traffic and proceeded through the red illuminated light, almost hitting multiple vehicles in the northbound lane. Cooper followed the moped southbound on Killingly Street without activating her overhead lights because of heavy traffic. She said she was able to catch up to the moped as it was turning left onto Hartford Avenue to head eastbound into Providence.

Cooper activated her overhead lights in an attempt to detain the vehicle, but the operator continued east of Hartford Avenue then passed an unknown vehicle to the right and collided with another. Both the operator – David Gomez, 20, 7 Day St., Providence – and the passenger fell off the moped. Gomez experienced minor pain, and Johnston Fire Department officials arrived on scene to evaluate both parties.

Gomez was arrested on a charge of reckless driving and released with a Third Division District Court notice to appear on Nov. 9. He was issued another summons on a charge of driving with an expired license, first offense.

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Lt. Michael Babbitt reports that on the evening of Oct. 1, David Matera, 36, 21 Boswell Trail, Foster, responded to Johnston Police headquarters to turn himself in on an active JPD arrest warrant on charges of reckless driving and disorderly conduct.

Matera was released with a Third Division District Court summons to appear on Oct. 5, but he was not fully processed due to technical difficulties.

Matera’s arrest stemmed from an alleged incident that took place the evening of July 27. Patrolman Jared DeAngelis wrote in July that he initially detained a party whose name has been redacted on Central Avenue, saying he fled from a motor vehicle driven by Matera.

He said Matera was driving recklessly at a crowd of people and that he “wanted nothing to do with that,” so he jumped out of the car and began to walk. He said that Matera was probably in the area of Boundary Avenue because a person whose name was redacted lives in the area.

DeAngelis went to Boundary Avenue, where he found a crowd of people an unnamed location. He spoke with one man, who said he was in front of his residence with his family and friends when a car abruptly stopped in front of his residence. DeAngelis said the man told him that Matera said, “I’m going to kill you and your whole family.” The man said he advised his family to go into the residence with the children while he tried to determine what was happening. DeAngelis said the man has never seen Matera before. As people went inside the residence, the man said Matera wasn’t moving. He approached the vehicle, believing Matera posed a threat to him and his family. DeAngelis wrote that Matera put the car in reverse and tried to hit the man, but he moved out of the way. He then tried to strike the man again, but failed.

The man said he ran down Boundary Avenue to get Matera away from his family and residence, and Matera tried to hit him multiple times. The man said he saw Matera run into at least one vehicle and two trees. The man made it back to his residence as Matera continued to speed up and down the street until police arrived. The reporting party said that he could hear a passenger saying he wanted to get out of the vehicle and “wanted no part of this.”

Two witnesses corroborated the man’s story. As Matera was detained, DeAngelis asked him which vehicle he struck, to which he said, “I didn’t hit no car but I probably hit a few trees.” The officer then advised Matera that he was being arrested on a charge of driving with a suspended license. After putting Matera into the back of the cruiser, he began to yell and scream, saying, “When I drive my car through [redacted] you’ll know why.”

He was later released on the suspended license charge, but an arrest warrant on charges of reckless driving and disorderly conduct was later prepared after witness statements were taken the day following the incident. ASSAULT

Patrolman Thomas Santurri was dispatched to 3 Becker Ave. the evening of Sept. 24 for a dispersal.

Upon arrival, he was met by Anthony Marinaro, 73, of the above address and another party whose name was redacted. The woman said she responded to the address to check on the renovations being done to the property. She said she was sitting in the driver’s seat of her vehicle when Marinaro approached her window and began yelling obscenities.

Santurri wrote that the woman said Marinaro then struck her in the lip with a closed fist through the window. She said she was in the process of evicting Marinaro, which is why he was upset with her.

Marinaro was charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct, and he was issued a Third Division District Court summons to appear Nov. 9. SUSPENDED LICENSE

Patrolman Thomas Santurri was on a fixed post at the intersection of Greenville Avenue and Spring Hill Drive the evening of Sept. 27 when he saw a vehicle traveling 47 mph in a 35 mph zone.

Santurri conducted a traffic stop and spoke with the operator, identified as Joselito Quezada, 27, 95 Brush Hill Road, Providence. A check showed the Quezada’s driver’s license had been suspended on March 17. More investigating showed Quezada had two previous convictions for driving with a suspended/revoked/canceled license.

Quezada was released from the scene with a Third Division District Court notice to appear Nov. 9.