Rhode Island

Published on: March 19, 2025

72-Year-Old Arrested for Touching Minors in Resort Pool

A man from Rhode Island is facing charges after being accused of inappropriately touching a young girl in a pool at a resort near Disney World.

On March 9, a 12-year-old girl and her family were staying at the Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort in Lake Buena Vista, and she went to the lazy river pool on the premises. A 72-year-old man was also in the pool, and the youngster thought she felt him touch her. When she went back the following day, the same man was there, and after spending some time in the water, she got very upset and ran to her mother. It was reported that she told her mom the man would not keep away from her, and that he touched her buttocks.

The authorities were notified, and deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office went to the property to investigate. When they arrived, they found a man in the hot tub fitting the description of the individual who was reported. The child’s mother recorded a video of the man before they got there, and she gave it to the deputies. When the suspect got out of the water, the deputies approached him and identified him as a resident of Rhode Island, and later learned he had been accused of groping a youngster at a Goodwill in 2017.

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Published on: July 29, 2024

Man Charged After Investigation of DUI Wreck

by Staycie R. Sena

A Rhode Island man who turned himself in last week for an active arrest warrant is facing multiple charges after allegedly driving under the influence in 2023 and causing a crash that severely injured a passenger.

In May 2023, a woman reportedly blacked out after having drinks with a male friend. She believed the man put her in his car and started to drive her home, but before they arrived, they were in an accident. According to investigators, she was not wearing a seatbelt when they crashed, and she was thrown from the car. While the driver was only mildly hurt, the woman was flown to a nearby hospital for serious injuries that required her to undergo surgery.

The man reportedly told the authorities that he lost control of the vehicle, and when he tried to stop, he was unable to. He also said he recently had mechanical issues with the car but had not yet taken it to an auto shop.

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Published on: October 31, 2021

3 Charged for Bilking Thousands from Seniors in ‘Grandparent Scam’

by Staycie R. Sena

Three men are facing charges after allegedly taking money from elderly people in Rhode Island in what is referred to as a “Grandparent Scam.”

21-year-old Bryan Valdez-Espinosa and 22-year-old Diego A. Alarcon reside in Union City, N.J. They were reportedly working together with Jason Hatcher, 39, from New York City in a scheme to defraud several people who have grandchildren.

It was reported that between June 9 and June 11, the trio reached out to at least 11 people in different areas of Rhode Island. The men allegedly asked them to provide money to help their grandchildren with legal troubles.

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Published on: June 18, 2020

Three Arrested and Charged for Vandalism of Columbus Statue

by Staycie R. Sena

Three people were arrested last Saturday when they were accused of using paint to vandalize the newly added wooden casing surrounding the historic statue of Christopher Columbus in Rhode Island.

Just before the weekend, the statue of Christopher Columbus that sits in Columbus Square in the city of Providence was housed in a plywood container.

It was reported that the structure was constructed to protect the statue during an upcoming project involving machinery deemed a risk to the effigy, in addition to taking precautions against possible vandals during the recent protests.

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