Crime & Safety
Driver Accused of Sideswiping Smithfield Cop Car Due in Court
Brandon Rourke, 29, is scheduled to appear for a hearing on Wednesday.
The Providence man accused of drunk driving and sideswiping a Smithfield Police cruiser is due in court for a follow-up hearing this week.
Brandon Rourke, 29, of Providence, faces misdemeanor counts of DUI and leaving the scene of an accident, injury resulting, after his car struck the cruiser on Putnam Pike on June 24 at about 1 a.m.
He is scheduled for a court hearing on Wednesday in Sixth District Court.
According to police reports, the police car had been stopped at a construction site with its lights on when Rourke's car hit the cruiser in the eastbound lane and kept going.
Officers stopped Rourke's car shortly after the collision and had him perform field sobriety tests. After being taken into custody, Rourke refused a chemical test.
The officer in the cruiser, identified as a shift supervisor for the department, was treated at Rhode Island Hospital for a knee injury and released.
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