Prout Teacher Faces Felony Charges After Hit & Run

Unless otherwise noted, files at Washington County Superior Court contain the information about the following court cases. You can review them at the McGrath Judicial Complex.

Adriana M. Wright, 42, of 242 Cossaduck Hill Road, North Stonington, Conn., faces Charlestown police felony charges of leaving the scene of an accident with serious injury resulting and reckless driving following a Fourth Division District Court hearing on Jan. 3.

Appearing before District Court judge Madeline Quirk, Wright was released on $10,000 personal recognizance, with the condition that she not drive until the resolution of her case. A felony screening date was scheduled for Feb. 22.

According to The Providence Journal, and several graduates of the school, Wright is a Spanish teacher at the Prout School in Wakefield. The Journal reported that she has been placed on academic leave.

On Dec. 27, Rhode Island State Police arrested Wright and charged her with drunken driving, with an additional modifier of having a minor in the car. She was arraigned on Dec. 28 and pleaded not guilty. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for Jan. 7.

According to an affidavit filed by Charlestown police Sgt. Philip Gingerella, at about 9:14 p.m. on Dec. 27 they received a 911 call from a man at a home on Lauri Drive. The man told police that his 16-year-old son had been walking to Rippy’s Liquor and Marketplace when he had been hit by a car.

Police said the boy was conscious but suffering from severe injuries, and he was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Charlestown police issued a bulletin to state police and local departments to look for a car with front-end damage consistent with a hit-and-run.

According to Rhode Island State Police, about 15 minutes after the bulletin they stopped a car driven by Wright on Route 4 in East Greenwich for suspicion of drunken driving. Police said they have received several calls complaining of Wright driving erratically.

State police said that when interviewing Wright, she believed that she was on her way home to North Stonington after attending a party on Holly Ridge Road in South Kingstown. Police also said she couldn’t explain where the front-end damage on her car had come from.

According to state police, Wright was arrested at that time for drunken driving, and her car was impounded. A few days later, the victim was able to provide Charlestown police with a statement.

The victim told police that he couldn’t remember anything about the car that had hit him, except that it had come up behind him while he was walking in the breakdown lane.

However, police said an examination of the victim’s injuries matched with the damage to the car. As a result, Superior Court Associate Justice Melanie Thunberg issued a new arrest warrant for Wright on Dec. 30 at about 4:30 p.m.

According to online records, Wright doesn’t have any previous arrests in Rhode Island or Connecticut. According to The Westerly Sun, Wright’s husband is Brian Wright, a captain in the New London Police Department.