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Traffic stop leads to laundry list of charges |
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Monday, 23 June 2008 |
WOONSOCKET — Sloppy driving was the first of his problems, police say, but it went downhill fast for Gary R. Santucci — and his passenger.
Santucci, 21, of 159 Stoneham Road, was arrested early Saturday on charges that included possession with intent to deliver cocaine, drunken driving, resisting arrest and driving while in possession of a controlled substance.
His passenger, Emanuel Alvarez, 21, of 563 Willow St., was also charged with possession of cocaine with intent to deliver as well as obstructing police.
Patrolman Patrick McGourty reported he was en route to back up other police officers at a motor vehicle stop about 2:27 a.m. when he saw Santucci’s SUV nearly strike another policeman on Cumberland Street. Following Santucci in his cruiser, the officer saw the SUV jump a curb as it turned onto Hamlet Avenue and McGourty could hear the vehicle’s stereo blasting from 200 feet away.
After the vehicle stopped on Manville Road, Santucci allegedly refused to get out or unlock the door for McGourty.
At one point, Santucci, smelling of alcohol, allegedly tried to put the vehicle in gear, prompting McGourty to grab him by the neck in attempts to pull him out.
While McGourty struggled with Santucci, another policemen who had just arrived, Patrolman John Raymond, began struggling with Alvarez. The passenger, too, was refusing to exit the vehicle, and Raymond attempted to reach in and force him out.
After doing so, Raymond climbed into the vehicle and struck Santucci in the head with an open palm, then unlocked the driver’s side door for McGourty.
With help from still other officers, Santucci and Alvarez were soon handcuffed. Police later found 10 glassine bags of cocaine in the vehicle and two more in Alvarez’s right sock. The officers also seized $478 in cash from Santucci and two cell phones, which rang repeatedly as police searched the vehicle, according to reports. Police said one call they answered came from someone attempting to buy $20 worth of cocaine.
In addition to the criminal charges, Santucci was cited for refusing to submit to a breath test, violating the city’s noise ordinance, leaving a lane of travel and driving a vehicle with an unlawfully dark tint on the windows. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 25 June 2008 )
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