R.I. Police Digest: Seven-car accident closes Route 95 south

01:00 AM EDT on Monday, August 22, 2011

Pawtucket

Seven-car accident closes Route 95 south

A seven-car accident shut down traffic on Route 95 south near Lonsdale Avenue in Pawtucket for 45 minutes early Sunday.

Two cars were involved in a fender-bender in the high-speed lane around 1:26 a.m. near Exit 26, according to state police Lt. Kelsey A. Marshall. When a third car stopped to help, it was hit from behind by a fourth vehicle.

A fifth car then pulled up to assist, only to be rear-ended by a sixth vehicle. That car, which police said was driven by an alleged drunken driver, then veered to the right, hitting a seventh car as well as three of the other vehicles involved, Marshall said.

State police charged Derrick Azevedo, 25, of 63 Clews St., Pawtucket, with driving under the influence, Marshall said. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with minor injuries and is due to be arraigned in District Court, Providence, Sept. 9, she said.

Five other people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, she said. All the vehicles were towed from the scene.

Journal Staff

Providence

Man charged with assaulting brother-in-law

A Providence man faces domestic-assault charges after a night of drinking at home turned into a dispute with his brother-in-law early Sunday, according to the police.

Jim Barrett, 46, of Manchester, Conn., told the police that he, his girlfriend and his brother-in-law stayed up late drinking at his brother-in-law’s apartment, while his sister and niece slept. Barrett told the police that at about 5 a.m., after using the bathroom, he caught his girlfriend performing a sex act on his brother-in-law, Ron Williams. Barrett told the police that he yelled at Williams to leave the room, but that Williams lunged at him and became violent.

Williams, 37, of 89 Eddy St., Apt. 401, was charged with one count of domestic simple assault.

Journal Staff

Struggle over phone leads to teen’s arrest

A teenage girl from New York was arrested on disorderly conduct charges after she refused to give her father her cell phone while shopping at Providence Place mall Saturday evening.

Police officers patrolling the mall noticed a man dragging the girl by her hand while she was on the ground, according to police reports. As the officers intervened, they noticed the pair was struggling over a white cell phone.

The officers thought the man might have been trying to steal the phone from the girl, but, after talking to the pair, learned that the father, Carlos Chamorro, of Queens, N.Y., had been trying to take the phone away for disciplinary reasons.

The father was not charged. The girl was referred to Family Court.

Journal Staff

Store franchisee accused of food-stamp fraud

A former 7-Eleven franchisee in Rhode Island has been accused of taking food-stamp benefits for cash at his Providence convenience store.

A complaint unsealed Friday in U.S. District Court in Providence says 43-year-old Syed Shah charged an undercover investigator $60 in food stamps for $40 in cash. The complaint does not disclose how much investigators believe Shah fraudulently pocketed in food-stamp benefits, the Associated Press reported.

Investigators say food stamp redemptions at his store skyrocketed from $228,000 in 2008 to nearly $1 million last year.

The Office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Agriculture began its probe of Shah’s store in 2008, two years after he took over the business.

The complaint says Shah told an investigator on Aug. 15 that an employee only identified as “S.K.” started giving cash back for food stamps in 2009. Investigators say the practice boosted business and Shah feared losing customers if he did not keep it up. He told an investigator he charged $30 to $40 in food stamps for every $50 in cash requested.

Authorities say the average monthly food stamp redemption at Shah’s store was $69,025, compared with a combined monthly redemption average of $8,770 at the other five 7-Eleven franchises in the area. Shah is also accused of letting customers purchase items that are prohibited under food stamp rules and letting them run up tabs.

Court filings show Shah was released on unsecured bond. He is charged with conspiracy to acquire and possess supplemental nutrition-assistance program benefits.

The complaint says 7-Eleven stripped him of his franchise last December. Court filings show Shah is currently employed by the military, but does not indicate what he does or where he works.

His attorney did not immediately return a message from the Associated Press. A man who answered the phone at a listing for Shah said it was a wrong number when asked about the criminal complaint.

Journal Staff

Cranston

Man charged in abuse of boy with power drill

A Cranston man is being held on a first-degree child-abuse charge after allegedly using a power drill on his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son.

The police say Luis Rodriguez, 37, remains under investigation in the case and more charges may be filed, the Associated Press reported.

According to the report, the boy’s father contacted the police in December after he saw scars on the child’s right arm. The police said the boy and his 9-year-old brother told their father that Rodriguez used the drill between the boy’s forearm and upper arm.

They also told their father that Rodriguez abused both of them.

The boys were interviewed by child advocates Tuesday, and Rodriguez was arrested the next day.

Journal Staff