« January 29, 2007 | Today | January 31, 2007 »

January 30, 2007

Jury selection begins in police brutality case

PROVIDENCE -- Jury selection began today for the East Providence police officer accused of beating a handcuffed suspect almost two years ago.

Jason Francis, of 884 Putnam Pike, Glocester, an officer in East Providence since 2000, faces multiple criminal charges related to an incident inside police headquarters in February 2005. He has been suspended without pay since then.

Michael Healey, spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, said Francis kicked the suspect in the face while he was sitting with his hands cuffed behind his back. Healey said the suspect suffered a broken nose as a result.

Francis is charged with felony assault with a dangerous weapon (his boot) and writing a false police report.

Opening arguments are expected to begin as soon as tomorrow.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:55 PM | Comment

Multi-car crash briefly closes Rte. 95 in Warwick

A multi-car accident in the beginning of rush-hour created miles of traffic back-ups on Route 95 from Warwick to Providence this afternoon.

Four vehicles collided at around 4:30 p.m., landing in the second and fourth southbound lanes of the highway just south of the T.F. Green Airport connector, said State Police Cpl. John Beauregard.

Traffic had stopped in both of those lanes, and then state police needed to shut down the entire highway for five minutes to tow the vehicles out of the way, he said. Just a few minutes was enough to stall traffic all the way into the capital city, he said.

One car had rolled over, but there were no serious injuries, Beauregard said. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

-- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:47 PM | Comment

Update: Carcieri to deliver State of State at 7 p.m.

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri will deliver his annual State of the State address tonight, focusing on education, the environment and energy, according to his office.

The governor will announce three "major new initiatives" in those areas, according to his office. He will also spend part of his speech reflecting "on some of the progress Rhode Island has made over the last four years," according to his spokesman, Jeff Neal.

Carcieri’s speech is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. A response by House Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox and Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed will follow.

Two local television stations, Channel 10 (WJAR) and Channel 12 (WPRI), will air the address live, as will Statewide Interconnect C, Channel 15 for Cox Cable subscribers.

Projo.com, courtesy of wpri.com, also expects to stream the speech live.

Read today's advance story on the address by Journal State House reporter Elizabeth Gudrais.

Read what Journal political columnist M. Charles Bakst would like to hear Carcieri say.

Posted by Jack Perry at 6:32 PM | Comment

AG: Woonsocket police cleared in suspect's death

The Woonsocket Police have been cleared of wrongdoing in the death of a Woonsocket man who collapsed after being subdued with an electronic stun gun while in police headquarters.

At the same time, the state Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled that the stun-gun shot was not a factor in the man’s death, according to medical tests. However, it did not say what the cause of his death was.

Timothy Picard, 41, had been taken into custody on the morning of Aug. 20, 2006, after police responded to an apparent domestic disturbance between Picard and his 19-year-old son.

Picard struggled with officers at the time of his arrest, and then again once he was in custody at the Woonsocket police station.

Woonsocket officers were trying to subdue Picard during a struggle in the station's booking area when they hit him with two shocks from a TASER stun gun.

Shortly after, Picard collapsed, unresponsive, and died within an hour at Landmark Medical Center.

The attorney general’s review found that "...the use of force in restraining Timothy Picard was lawful under Rhode Island law. Further, the Woonsocket officers had probable cause to believe that Mr. Picard posed a danger to the officers or himself, based upon his continue aggressive and erratic actions toward the officers."

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

The state Medical Examiner’s Office determined that electrocution was not a factor in his death, and that while there was evidence of trauma consistent with the struggle, his injuries were superficial and not life-threatening.

Police reports released shortly after Picard’s death indicated that police suspected that Picard was under the influence of drugs at the time of his arrest.

Attorney General Lynch stated, "The use of the Taser by the Woonsocket Police warranted a close review of the circumstances leading to Mr. Picard's death. It is now clear that Mr. Picard's death was not caused by the Taser, or by the actions of the Woonsocket Police. The Picard family and their attorney have been briefed on the results of this review and, as a criminal investigation, this matter is now closed."

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:23 PM | Comment

Update: Fire investigation under way in E. Providence

EAST PROVIDENCE -- Fire investigators are interviewing neighbors this afternoon to try and figure out what happened at 49 Baker St.

At 4 p.m., four fire trucks, an ambulance and two police cars were parked near the two-story house. One ambulance was seen leaving the street.

Both front windows of the house were smashed and the blinds were hanging out. There was no other sign of damage at the house on a short street near South Broadway.

Fire Chief Joseph Klucznik said his department responded to a call about a kitchen fire at 3:30 p.m. He said the fire was under control in 15 to 20 minutes.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:45 PM | Comment

Last suspect pleads guilty in murder on Indian land

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The last of three people accused of killing a 19-year-old Providence woman and dumping her body over a bridge in Connecticut pleaded guilty today.

Tawanna Sampson, 31, admitted to second-degree murder and conspiring with her half-sister and cousin to murder Stacy Ann Brissett on Narragansett Indian land in Charlestown on July 26, 2005. The three at the time believed Brissett, a former Providence stripper, played a role in the shooting death of their brother, Dwayne “DA” Sampson, weeks earlier.

In Washington County Superior Court today, Sampson wept and stared back at the 20 or so friends and family members gathered in the courtroom as she agreed to the deal in which she faces 50 years, with 40 to serve, at her sentencing March 27.

Sampson’s accomplice, Shea Cook, 22, of 364 Curtis Corner Rd., pleaded guilty to similar charges in late November. The shooter, Shonda Northup, of Ledyard, Conn., pleaded no contest in May to second-degree murder, conspiracy and two firearms charges in exchange for a 60-year sentence, with 40 to serve. She provided statements against Cook and Sampson, of 89 Broad St., Cumberland.

Prosecutors say the three lured Brissett into their 1991 Plymouth Voyager and with three others, who were not charged, drove to Narragansett Indian land in Charlestown. There, Cook and Northup argued about who would kill her with Sampson’s .25-caliber handgun. Northup shot the 19-year-old Providence woman three times, court records show.

They carried her to the minivan, where they beat and strangled her as she tried to escape. They then threw her body over a footbridge at Indian Leap Falls on the Yantic River in Norwich, Conn.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:21 PM | Comment

Sports tonight: Pick your poison

Our bumbling winter pro sports teams are at it again tonight, as the Boston Celtics try to snap an 11-game losing streak while the Boston Bruins try to stop a 3-game slide.

The Celtics are in Indianapolis tonight to face the Indiana Pacers, who are firmly in what Bill Reynolds would call the "amorphous middle" of the NBA pack. The game starts at 7; you can see it on Fox Sports New England. In the meantime, click here to read why Bill thinks the Celts would be better off just losing this one, and the next one, come to think of it.

The Bruins, who keep skating away from the playoff chase, have a tall order on their hands if they want to get back on track against tonight's opponent, the Buffalo Sabres. At 33-14-4, Buffalo has the best record in the Eastern Conference and is tied for the second best record in the entire NHL. The game starts at 7 on NESN.

In high school sports, two of the top girls basketball teams in Rhode Island Interscholastic League Division II will collide when North Providence (9-0 in the division, 13-2 overall) visits Scituate (9-1, 12-2). The game starts at 7. Carolyn Thornton will have a story on the game in tomorrow's Journal and on our High School GameDay page, where you'll also find a gallery of game photos. Click here to see what Carolyn had to say about the Cougars this weekend.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 3:25 PM | Comment

Sunken N.B. boat's emergency beacon didn't surface

An emergency radio beacon that could have emitted a satellite distress signal for the New Bedford fishing vessel that sank in Nantucket Sound Friday night or Saturday morning never had the chance to work, according to the Coast Guard.

The Lady of Grace’s Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (known as an EPIRB) appears to have released as it was designed to do – when it’s three meters underwater – but it got stuck on the vessel’s scupper and never had a chance to rise to the surface of Nantucket Sound, chief petty officer Scott Carr of the Coast Guard’s first district said this afternoon.

The EPIRB could have started emitting a signal, but its signal would have been muffled by the water, preventing a satellite from picking it up, Carr said.

The commercial fishing vessel had the most reliable type of EPIRB available, a digital 406 MHz model, which it was required to have, Carr said.

Had its signal transmitted, the Coast Guard would have known very quickly the latitude and longitude of the boat’s location and – if the crew had appropriately registered the EPIRB as the Coast Guard requires – the name and type of the boat and contact information for probably the owner and perhaps crew members.

When the Coast Guard receives such mayday signals from 406 MHz EPIRBs, rescue crews mobilize instantly, Carr said.

“They would have launched,” he said. “They would have started searching.”

With 406 MHz distress signals, the Coast Guard “immediately” moves its closest “asset” – a small boat, a cutter, a helicopter, a jet, whatever is closest – to the boat’s location, Carr said. Also, the Coast Guard would immediately issue in the boat’s general area an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast reporting a vessel in distress “because there might be another boat in the area who might be able to get there faster than you can,” he said.

It’s unknown at this time if the EPIRB was appropriately registered, Carr said. The Coast Guard may never be able to determine if its batteries were functioning at the time the boat went down. Corrosion of the EPIRB would have begun instantly in the salt water, he said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:21 PM | Comment

Update: 2 CVS execs plead not guilty / Photo

PROVIDENCE -- Two CVS executives, John R. Kramer and Carlos Ortiz, pleaded innocent today in federal court to charges of bribery and conspiracy for hiring former state Sen. John A. Celona as a $1,000-a-month CVS consultant.

U.S. Magistrate Judge David L. Martin ordered the two men released on $10,000 bond apiece and restricted their travel.

Kramer, who also has a residence in Arizona, was allowed to travel there and within Rhode Island. Ortiz, who lives in Amherst, Mass., had his travel restricted to Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

This morning's court appearance was brief. Neither man had any additional comments.

Ortiz and Kramer were charged on Jan. 18, in a 23-count indictment of conspiracy, of fraud and bribery. They are accused of hiring Celona as a consultant from early 2000 to the fall of 2003, paying him a total of about $45,000 and also lavishing him with golf outings, trips to Florida and California and tickets to professional sporting events.

-- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton

Although Celona was ostensibly paid to improve CVS' image among consumers, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente charged that Kramer and Ortiz put Celona on the payroll "to advance the company's legislative agenda … through illicit payments to Senator Celona.''

In return, the indictment said, Celona used his political clout to kill controversial "pharmacy choice'' legislation that would have expanded the Rhode Island network of pharmacies that accepted Blue Cross reimbursements. CVS, which dominated the restricted network, opposed the bill so strongly that the company tied Kramer's and Ortiz's performance reviews to defeating the legislation.

Killing the legislation, Ortiz wrote in one review, had "helped to protect millions of dollars of sales.''

The indictment says that Celona also opposed the licensing of Canadian pharmacies in Rhode Island, pushed legislation to allow the electronic filing of prescriptions and promoted the creation of a state-backed loan program for pharmacy students.

Celona pleaded guilty in 2005 to selling his office to CVS, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and Roger Williams Medical Center. He testified last fall in the corruption trial leading to the conviction of former Roger Williams executives Robert Urciuoli and Frances Driscoll.

Urciuoli and Driscoll are also set to be sentenced tomorrow.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:40 PM | Comment

Mullawala admits 'mistakes,' denies ties to terrorism

BOSTON -- Mohammed Mullawala admitted giving authorities "false information" at a hearing in federal immigration court this morning, but the Indian national denied assertions that he had ill intentions while enrolled at a Rhode Island truck driving school.

"I did mistakes, but I’m not a criminal. I’ve never done any harm to this country. I did give false information for some (questions), but I’m not a criminal. I’m an innocent student,” he said during nearly two hours on the witness stand before Judge Matthew D'Angelo in the Boston courthouse.

Outside the courtroom, Mullawala's attorney June Beack also acknowledged that her client was dishonest with investigators, but said he was the victim of racial profiling.

"Certainly, post 9/11 there is hightened national security as there should be, but that leads potentially to people being profiled," Beack said, noting that Mullawala is a dark-skinned Muslim. "That was how his trucking school instructor initially flagged him."

Mullawala is fighting for "voluntary departure" from the United States. Such a designation would allow him to apply to return to this country in the future, perhaps as a student, his attorney said today.

The 28-year-old Indian national has been held in federal detention on a violation of his student visa since Rhode Island State Police arrested him in early December.

Mullawala's behavior at the Nationwide Tractor-Trailer Driving School, in Smithfield, triggered Homeland Security concerns that have since widened into an investigation by an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples, with reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

According to the school's instructor, that behavior included Mullawala's expressed interest in buying software or videos on hazardous materials and his stated interest in only learning how to drive the truck forward - not how to back it up or any other required technical maneuvers.

Today's hearing spanned nearly two hours. D'Angelo said he'd rule on the voluntary departure request on Feb. 13. Should the judge deny the motion, the prosecutor said she will ask that he be deported -- a move that would make it difficult for him to return within the next 10 years.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples, with reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:03 PM | Comment

Divers tend to sunken N.B. fishing boat

A dive team was in the waters of Nantucket Sound this morning, plugging vents and working to mitigate any pollution from the sunken fishing vessel the Lady of Grace, out of New Bedford, which ran into trouble Friday night with four fishermen aboard.

The Coast Guard in Woods Hole, Mass., sent out a small boat to provide a safety zone around those divers, chief petty officer Scott Carr of the Coast Guard’s first district said this morning.

The boat’s captain and three-member crew had cut their eight-day trip for groundfish in half and headed back toward New Bedford Friday afternoon, heeding warnings form the Coast Guard about single-digit temperatures, lashing winds of 45 knots and 22-foot seas. The 75-foot dragger was apparently overcome with ice.

The one body that was recovered, yesterday afternoon, was taken to the state Medical Examiner’s Office and has not yet been identified. Late Saturday, Coast Guard search crews using sonar and underwater cameras discovered the boat in 36 feet of water on the bottom of Nantucket Sound. They were drawn to the area by an oil slick about 11 nautical miles north of Nantucket.

Today, the state police may send out an additional dive team to search the area for the other three bodies, Carr said. However, such a decision will be made only after consultation with the Coast Guard, the district attorney’s office and insurance companies connected with the boat, state police Sgt. Robert Bousquet said today.

The Coast Guard mitigates the environmental concerns associated with a sunken vessel that contained fuel, Bousquet said. However, salvage operations and pollution prevention “would ultimately be the responsibility of the owner of the vessel,” Carr said. Jaime Santos of New Bedford is the boat’s owner.

Lost at sea were the boat’s captain, Antonio Barroqueiro, and his crew – Rogerio Vendura, Mario Farinha and João Silva.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:02 PM | Comment

R.I. students improve in reading, math

PROVIDENCE -- The latest round of statewide test results for elementary and middle school students released at 10 a.m. today brought good news: the scores showed improvement in both reading and math.

Statewide, 62 percent of elementary and middle school students scored proficient in reading, an increase of 4 percentage points from last year, and 53 percent of those students were proficient in math, an increase of 3 percentage points.

Notably, scores improved in all parts of the state: in the urban districts, Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls and Woonsocket; the so-called urban ring communities: Cranston, East Providence, Johnston, Newport, North Providence, Warwick and West Warwick; and the suburban districts that make up the rest of the state.

Various groups of students, such as black, Hispanic, English language learners and students living in poverty, also made significant gains.

“This is truly a turning point in education results for our state in reading and mathematics,” said Governor Carcieri at the press conference held at the State House. “I am especially gratified that we are seeing substantial improvements in our urban communities.”

Compare scores by district.

Compare scores by school.

Compare scores by grade.

-- Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan

Peter McWalters, commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, credited teachers and a new system of standards and testing with the encouraging results.

“The improvements this year in test scores is the result of many years of hard work by educators,” McWalters said. “We have adopted clearly articulated statewide standards in mathematics and reading, implemented a new testing system, increased professional development for educators and developed the first statewide curriculum.”

Students in fifth and eighth grades also took a writing test, and those scores dipped five percent from last year, to 46 percent scoring proficient. However, officials at the Rhode Island Department of Education said because the writing test questions change from year to year, writing scores will always be more volatile.

Students in grades three through eight took the standardized tests last October, in compliance with the federal education law No Child Left Behind, which requires yearly testing in those grades and one high school grade. (High school juniors will take a test in the spring and those results will reported in the fall.)

The tests, called the New England Common Assessment, were developed in conjunction with New Hampshire and Vermont and rolled out for the first time in the 2005-2006 school year. New Hampshire’s scores should be available later today; Vermont will release its scores Feb. 2.

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:17 AM | Comment

Traffic: Abandoned vehicle, construction tie up roads

The state Traffic Management Center has lifted one of two traffic alerts.

A disabled vehicle on Route 95 North before Exit 24, which affected the right lane, has cleared. However, an abandoned vehicle on Route 95 South in Cranston near Exit 13 remains in the right breakdown lane. It has been there since Sunday, according to Transportation Management Center operator Stephen McGovern.

In other traffic news, construction on Route 95 North in the area of exits 23 and 24 has closed the left lane and will likely cause congestion back to exit 21 through much of the day, McGovern said. Construction on Route 146 North, from Route 95 to Branch Avenue, has closed the right lane. Both lane closures should continue until at least 2 p.m. today, McGovern said.

You can find any traffic alerts describing accidents here, browse traffic cams to see real-time photos of the highways and check out the DOT’s road construction schedule here.

Also, check out congestion mapping -- i.e., how heavy the traffic is -- here.

To report a traffic incident, call the Transportation Management Center at (401) 222-5826 and choose option #2.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:27 AM | Comment

Photo: Car warms up too much, catches fire

Journal photo / Bill Murphy

Sandra Akinmurele (left) and Providence Fire Department investigator Tim Whalen (right) examine the Pontiac Grand Am belonging to Akinmurele's boyfriend after it caught fire this morning at her home on Willard Avenue in Providence. Akinmurele said she started the car to warm it up, and as she started to pull away, a neighbor alerted her to a gas leak. As she got out of the car, the engine went up in flames. She and a friend tried unsuccsessfully to put it out. No one was hurt.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:48 AM | Comment

Snow likely tonight

Snow is on the way.

Today should be mostly cloudy with a high near 33, and then snow is likely after 9 tonight into tomorrow morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Accumulation of one to three inches is possible, the weather service says.

For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features a story about the sinking of a New Bedford fishing boat with four men on board and a report on the health and economic status of women in Rhode Island.

Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment