SK Police Log: August 30 and 31, 2012

Unless otherwise noted, information about the following incidents was supplied by the South Kingstown Police Department. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.

South Kingstown Man Charged With Drunken Driving, Weapons Possession; Police Also Cite Previous Night

Armindo J. Medina, 60, of 624 Curtis Corner Road, South Kingstown, was arrested at about 10 p.m. on Aug. 31 and charged with drunken driving and possession of a weapon other than a firearm, and also cited for refusing to submit to a chemical test.

At about 4:12 a.m., an officer noted a gold Chevrolet parked in a handicap space in their lot. The officer saw a man sleeping in the driver’s seat, and a dispatcher told police that the car had been there a while.

Police woke up the driver – Medina – and noted that he was intoxicated. A breath test revealed that his blood alcohol content was .223.

As a result, Medina was cited for public drunkenness and sleeping in a motor vehicle. His roommate picked him up at this time. However, he was arrested again, less than 24 hours later.

According to police, they received multiple calls at about 10 p.m. of a gold Chevrolet stopped in the left-hand travel lane of Route 1. Police said that when they arrived, several people had stopped to help push the car out of the high-speed lane and into the breakdown lane.

Police interviewed a witness, who said that the driver of the gold car –Medina – had abruptly stopped. As a result, the witness swerved to the right and had to travel a short distance in the breakdown lane.

According to police, Medina initially attempted to not speak to police, but he finally told them that his car had run out of gas. Police noted that he smelled strongly of alcohol, and the witness also told police that Medina appeared to be disoriented and intoxicated when he spoke to him.

Police said Medina consented to field sobriety tests, which he allegedly failed. Police noted that they modified the standard tests because of past knee injuries Medina had suffered. His breath also tested at .142 on a portable breath test unit.

Police arrested Medina without incident. A search of his car revealed a 13-inch fishing knife, which he was also charged for. He was processed at police headquarters and then given a ride home at about midnight.

Connecticut Man Charged With Violating Protective Order

Scott Gemelli, 36, of 839 Main St., Apt. #19, Torrington, CT, was arrested at about 7:19 p.m. on Aug. 31 and charged with violating a protective order.

According to police, they received a report of a possible domestic incident at a home on Carpenter Drive. Police said that when they investigated, they found Gemelli sitting on the front porch of a house, and he appeared to be heavily intoxicated.

Police said they interviewed Gemelli and a woman inside the house, who both said that they had been out drinking most of the day, and had gotten into a verbal argument. Both said that the argument had not become physical.

However, a background check revealed an active protective order out against Gemelli based on an incident in Connecticut. The order was issued on Dec. 27, 2011, and was still in effect.

As a result, Gemelli was arrested without incident, processed and then released at about 11:13 p.m.

Car Fire Extinguished

At about 11:11 a.m. on Aug. 31, police received a report of a car fire near the South County Commons.

According to police, the driver and passenger in a green Dodge Caravan said they had been driving when they heard a loud “pop” sound. They thought they had just blown a tire, but another driver told them that the van was on fire.

Police said that flames were coming out of the engine compartment and had spread to the passenger seat. South Kingstown Fire extinguished the fire, and only minor smoke inhalation was reported. All northbound traffic on Route 1 near the South County Commons was stopped while the scene was cleared.

North Kingstown Woman Charged With License Violation

Alyssa S. D’Antona, 24, of 238 Westmoreland Lane, North Kingstown, was arrested at about 7:45 p.m. on Aug. 31 and charged with driving with a suspended license.

According to police, an officer traveling on Main Street near the Dale Carlia intersection ran a background check on a plate of a car driven by D’Antona. The check revealed that the car’s owner – D’Antona – had a suspended license.

As a result, a traffic stop was made in the 400-section of Kingstown Road. Police confirmed D’Antona’s identity, and she was arrested without incident. Police said her license was suspended on June 15 for failing to pay court fines.

D’Antona was processed at police headquarters and then released at about 9 p.m. A friend drove her car from the scene.

Johnston Teen Cited for Expired License

Lauren F. Levesque, 18, of 25 Serrel Sweet Road, Johnston, was cited at about 4:36 p.m. on Aug. 30 and charged with driving with an expired license.

According to police, they received a report of a crash between a car and a motorcycle on Plains Road near Route 138. A background check of the car’s driver – Levesque – revealed that her license was expired.

Levesque was cited for the license violation, and allowed to drive from the scene. Police said she was uninjured.

Unless otherwise noted, the information for this article was compiled from South Kingstown police reports, which are available for review by any member of the public at their . If we’re missing a call or report you’re interested in knowing about, feel free to leave a comment or to send Local Editor Stephen Greenwell a message at Stephen.greenwell@patch.com.

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