Drunk Driver Hops Curb, Drives Through Long Wharf Mall, Police Say

NEWPORT, RI—Newport police charged a 47-year-old Middletown man with driving under the influence early Monday after he allegedly drove over a curb on Thames Street and onto the Long Wharf Mall walkway.

Police said Robert Leroy Brown, of 32 Briarwood Ave., Middletown, drove his 1999 Volvo over the curb in view of an officer on patrol at around 12:45 a.m.

Police said the force of hitting the curb caused the trunk of his car to pop open. Police conducted a traffic stop in the Long Wharf mall parking lot and Brown showed signs of intoxication at the scene.

He was taken into custody without incident and was charged with driving under the influence, refusing a chemical test and a laned roadway violation,

Police also said that Brown was cited for improper use of registration for using a slab of cardboard as a license plate.

Police also noted that Brown’s driver’s license, issued out of North Carolina, was suspended.

Brown was held overnight for arraignment on Monday.