80 Arrests During Newport St. Patrick's Day Parade Events

NEWPORT, RI—The St. Patrick's Day Parade in Newport on Saturday went on without major incident, but Newport police officers were kept busy—as expected—as thousands of revelers celebrating with alcohol inevitably led to numerous arrests.

The annual parade and celebrations is a tradition that marked its 60th year this year, and every year, police work overtime to watch over the crowd and keep rowdy and illegal behavior from causing major disruption.

This year, police reported a total of 80 arrests, of which 23 were people taken into custody for various crimes. Fifty-nine people were issued summonses to appear in court at a later date.

The most-common offense was for public drinking, or violating the open container law. Police also caught 16 minors drinking alcohol and 12 people couldn't hold it and were caught urinating in public.

Police connected a total of 95 offenses to St. Patrick's Day Parade festivities.

Here is the preliminary breakdown of offenses and totals per offense:

• Felony assault: 2
• Municipal disorderly conduct: 3
• Open container law violation: 34
• Minor in possession of alcohol: 16
• Other misdemeanors: 12
• Public urination: 12
• Simple assault: 4
• Disorderly conduct: 10
• Driving under the influence: 2

Last year, Newport police reported 57 arrests, a marked decrease over prior years. At the time, then-Newport Police Lt. William Fitzgerald blamed the rainy weather on the low numbers.

Fitzgerald left the department last year to take the police chief job in Winchester, CT.

In 2014, 89 people were arrested for similar crimes.

The large crowds that descend on Newport over the weekend usually end up spilling over into neighboring Middletown and nearby Portsmouth. In Portsmouth, police reported eight DUI arrests over the weekend, mostly due to parade day activities.