5-Year Sentence Imposed for Gansett Sexual Assault

A Johnston man will spend five years at the ACI after pleading no contest in Washington County Superior Court to charges of a sexual assault following an argument with his girlfriend in Narragansett.

Michael Russo, 50, of 3 Bradford St., Johnston, pleaded no contest on July 31 to two charges of felony assault. In return for his plea, the charges were downgraded from first-degree sexual assault, and two additional charges of simple assault were dismissed.

Russo was ordered to serve five years at the ACI, followed by a 10-year suspended sentence and 10 years probation upon his release. He was also ordered to pay $1,100 in assessments and to complete domestic violence counseling.

According to Narragansett police reports included in court documents, Russo lived with his girlfriend in a home on Abalone Road in February 2010. Police received a report of a woman collecting clothes in her yard on the morning of Feb. 12.

Police said that the victim told them, “He beat the **** out of me but I’m okay, I just want him out.” After further investigation, the victim told police that Russo had forcefully inserted a finger into her, and told her, “If you call the cops I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you before they get here.”

According to police, they found ripped underwear in a trash can in the residence, and Russo was attempting to vacuum and clean when they arrived. A medical exam on the victim revealed a laceration on the inside of her vagina, and also injuries consistent with a concussion and a sprained neck.

Police said that when the victim came home the morning of Feb. 12, she and Russo had an argument over her spending the night with a female friend, after the victim and the friend had been out at Mohegan Sun. Police said that according to the friend, the victim had not been with anyone the previous night, which suggested the injuries came from Russo.

According to online records, Russo only has one other arrest. In July 2012, North Providence police charged him with driving with a suspended license. He did not appear at a July 18 hearing and a warrant was issued for his arrest, but the case was continued to Aug. 21 following his plea to the felony assault charges.

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