Crime & Safety
Man Charged With Stalking North Providence Mayor
Police say 54-year-old Darren A. Barnes began stalking Mayor Charles A. Lombardi in March 2023.
NORTH PROVIDENCE, RI — A North Providence man has been arrested and is facing charges after being accused of stalking the town's mayor for several months, Rhode Island State Police said Tuesday.
Police say 54-year-old Darren A. Barnes began stalking Mayor Charles A. Lombardi in March 2023, when the mayor reported that his car was being damaged while it was parked at his home.
"Between February 2023 and April 2024, the Mayor found a lot of roofing nails scattered in his driveway on several different occasions," police wrote Tuesday.
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The Rhode Island State Police Intelligence Unit and North Providence Police Department linked the incidents to Barnes, who used to work for the North Providence town as a custodian in the police department but was fired by Lombardi in 2020.
Barnes was charged with stalking, vandalism/malicious damage to property, and two counts of conspiracy.
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He was released following his arraignment on a $10,000 personal recognizance.
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