84 Arrests Over St. Patrick's Weekend Include Road Rage, Screwdriver Assault

Update: Tuesday, March 19 1:16 p.m.

The Newport Police Department has released the official crime stats from St. Patrick's Day weekend. 

According to officials, police made 84 arrests. The previous report of 94 arrests was the result of double reporting. 

Read the full report and breakdown here.

Original report: Monday, March 18

According to Newport police, 94 people were either arrested or cited on St. Patrick's Day weekend.

Last year, more than 70 people had run-ins with the police. In 2011, 95 people were either cited or arrested on parade day. Most of the arrests were for alcohol-related charges. 

As of 9 a.m. Monday morning, police reports were still being processed and some are still not complete. Patch will update these figures as information becomes available.

Arrests and Citations Breakdown 

• Possession of Alcohol in Public – 37 
• Possession of Alcohol by a Minor – 31 
• Disorderly Conduct – 14 
• Simple Assault - 8
• Urinating in public – 2

Road Rage Results in Felony Assault Arrest

Daniel D. Lentz, 26, of 122 Gibbs Ave, Newport, was arrested around 6:20 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, for felony assault with a dangerous weapon and first-offense possession of marijuana charges.

Lentz reportedly rammed his car into another vehicle while driving on Broadway near City Hall.

According to reports, officers saw Lentz try to drive around the car in front of him and then turned into the passenger’s side of the car, causing significant damage to both vehicles.

Lentz told police he was upset that the other driver had run through a stop sign. Reports said he showed no signs of being intoxicated.

The victim denied running any stop signs and told police he had no idea why Lentz drove into him.

After transporting Lentz to the station, police found three small bags of marijuana in the back of the cruiser.

Middletown Man Allegedly Threatens Teen with Screwdriver 

William L. Freeman, 23, of 7 Bristol Rd., Middletown, was arrested around 9:12 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, for felony assault with a dangerous weapon and larceny charges.

According to reports, Freeman had used a screwdriver to threaten a 15-year-old boy and took his cell phone.

The victim told police Freeman had approached him outside of his building, pressed the screwdriver against his ribs and told him to empty his pockets. The boy handed over his cell phone and was able to get away.

The boy and other witnesses said Freeman threw the phone on the ground before fleeing the scene. A neighbor also told police she saw Freeman threatening to stab the boy with the screwdriver.

Police located Freeman and placed him under arrest. 

The above report details arrests made by the Newport Police Department. Descriptions of all events are based solely on police officer reports provided to Patch. 

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