DROWNING

According to a Warwick Police press release, the department is conducting a drowning investigation after a young boy lost his life.

Around 11:37 a.m., Aug. 28, Warwick Police officers were dispatched to 121 Gorham Ave. for the report of 3-year-old boy who was “possibly drowning.”

“Warwick Fire Department arrived on scene and attempted to resuscitate the male,” Police said in the press release. “He was transported to Hasbro Children’s Hospital and pronounced deceased at 12:42 p.m. The Warwick Police Department Detective Division is actively investigating this incident.”

DUI

Around 10:20 p.m., July 31, Warwick Police Officer Nathan J. Skawinski responded to the report of a single-vehicle crash at 4248 Post Road.

Upon arrival, multiple Warwick Police officers were already on the scene and speaking with the driver, later identified as Shannon P. Simonelli, 31, of 270 Whitford Ave., Providence.

Her black 2020 Land Rover Discovery had heavy front-end damage and stopped near a heavily damaged utility pole.

“Multiple officers informed me that they suspected Simonelli of being under the influence,” Skawinski wrote in the arrest report. “I then approached Simonelli, and asked how much she had to drink that night. Simonelli stated that she had 2 drinks and that she was coming form Blu On The Water, located at 20 Water St., East Greenwich.”

The driver allegedly told police she was drinking chardonnay.

Police asked Simonelli to consent to a series of standardized field sobriety tests. Following the tests, police arrested her and charged her with DUI of Liquor (BAC unknown, first offense), and she received citations for Leaving the Lane of Travel, Refusal to Submit to Preliminary Breath Test and Refusal to Submit to a Chemical Test (first offense). The driver was released “into the care of her mother.”

RECKLESS DRIVING

Around 8:05 a.m., July 30, Warwick Police Officer Kevin P. Grant Jr. was on a National Highway Safety Transportation Click It or Ticket traffic enforcement detail, conducting a stationary post at the Mobil gas station, at 15 Jefferson Boulevard.

Grant spotted a vehicle traveling east in the left lane past his location and the driver was not wearing a seatbelt.

He left the stationary post and followed the driver into the Dunkin Donuts parking lot at 27 Jefferson Boulevard. Grant pulled in behind the vehicle.

“At which point the suspect vehicle rapidly accelerated out of the parking lot, cutting off multiple vehicles and nearly causing a collision,” Grant wrote in the arrest report.

He followed the vehicle, activating his overhead emergency lights. The suspect took the on-ramp for I-95 North and accelerated onto the highway.

On the interstate, the driver allegedly cut across four lanes without utilizing a turn signal. He eventually gained a position behind the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop after clocking the driver at 80 mph.

“The suspect vehicle continued traveling at a high rate of speed from the on ramp; at which point upon crossing over into Cranston the suspect vehicle pulled over just prior to the Woodbine St. overpass in Cranston,” Grant wrote.

He activated his Axon body camera and exited his cruiser, approached the vehicle and “escorted the female operator out of the vehicle.”

“I advised her that she was being detained,” Grant wrote. He placed the driver in handcuffs and identified her as Lauren M. Arnold, 39, of 599 Vernon St., Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

“When asked why she failed to stop, Arnold immediately advised that her license was suspended in the state of Massachusetts,” Grant wrote. “She stated that she though upon getting on the highway, Warwick Police officers could not continue after her on the highway.”

Arnold was charged with Reckless Driving and Other Offenses Against Public, a misdemeanor. She also received citations for Driving with a Suspended License (first offense), Failure to yield Right of Way to Emergency Vehicles, Speeding (11+ mph over the posted speed limit), No Seat Belt-Operator, Failure to Maintain Proper Control of Motor Vehicle and Turn Signal Required.

2 RI men charged with possession of stolen firearm after Warwick  traffic stop

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that two Ocean State men have been charged in Kent County Superior Court with possession of a stolen gun and other gun-related offenses following their arrests by the Rhode Island State Police (RISP) on Feb. 10, according to a press release.

On Aug. 3, the office of the Attorney General charged Jaden Brown, 23, of Providence and Hassan Almarawi, 25, of Pawtucket, “by way of criminal information, each with one count of transporting a firearm without a license and one count of conspiracy to carry a firearm without a license.”

Brown was also charged with one count of possession of a stolen firearm.

Prosecutors allege that around 3:40 a.m., Feb. 10, a state trooper was traveling on Interstate 95 South in Warwick when he observed a gray Audi Q7 driving slowly in the middle lane before speeding up and turning off the exit ramp at Jefferson Boulevard. The trooper pursued the Audi and activated his emergency lights to halt the vehicle.

“As further alleged, as the trooper approached the vehicle, he observed the passenger (Almarawi) making reaching movements towards the passenger’s side door and down towards the passenger’s side floor,” according to the press release. “The trooper ordered the driver (Brown) and Almawari to show their hands, and they complied. When asked, Brown denied that there were any weapons in the vehicle, but the trooper noticed Almawari glancing at the same location on the passenger’s side floor that he was reaching towards prior.”

Another trooper arrived “on scene to assist and at that time, troopers asked both defendants to exit the vehicle and checked them for weapons, finding none,” according to prosecutors. “Troopers then checked the vehicle and found a Glock 27, .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun with a laser attachment mounted on it containing a 10-round magazine containing a quantity of ammunition. At that time, troopers placed both defendants under arrest.”

State troopers ran the Glock’s serial number through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and discovered it was reported as stolen out of the Holbrook Police Department in Massachusetts. Both defendants were arraigned on Aug. 18, in Kent County Superior Court and the charges remain pending.