Police Log

The Police Log is a digest of reports filed by the Johnston Police. Chief Richard S. Tamburini or Deputy Chief Daniel Parrillo has reviewed all reports.

HOT PURSUIT

Patrolman Stephen Altomari reported he was staking out a house on Woodhaven Drive looking for a man who was wanted for a bail conditions violation around 1:30 p.m. on March 14. He said the subject was out on bail from a felony child abuse last fall and was also wanted in Texas for a felony stalking-intimidation charge with full extradition. He said he was waiting on Saran Drive, where he had a good view of the garage doors while he waited for other officers to arrive. He said they were just arriving when the garage door opened and the vehicle associated with the suspect backed into the driveway. He said he pulled his cruiser into the driveway and identified the driver but the driver accelerated out of the circular driveway onto East Woodhaven Drive and through the stop sign onto Bishop Hill Road with Altomari behind him. He said he clocked the suspect at 70 to 80 miles per hour and he continued to accelerate as he went around a bend in the road and was out of sight momentarily until Altomari suddenly saw the car stopped and facing in the other direction with heavy front-end damage and the airbags deployed. He said he approached the car on foot with his weapon drawn as the suspect futilely tried to climb out of the passenger side window. Altomari said he ordered him to hold his hands out the windows so he could put the cuffs on him. He said the man was bleeding profusely from his head and nose and Johnston Rescue was called to the scene. Altomari said the driver, identified as Michael Terrence Chamberlain, 41, of 4 Woodhaven Dr., spontaneously said he was sorry for fleeing and repeatedly said, “I pray the Lord takes me.” He said he also said he hit the tree because he swerved to avoid hitting another car, which had already left the scene.

Altomari said that Johnston Rescue had to use the “jaws of life” to extricate Chamberlain and he was transported to Rhode Island Hospital, accompanied by Patrolman Winsor and Patrolwoman Ciccone. Altomari said BCI was called to the scene and North Providence Animal Control was called to take custody of Chamberlain’s three cats. He said the ACO was able to secure one of the cats and said he would be back to trap the other two unless arrangements were made for their well-being. Altomari said he also wrote up some traffic violations, including reckless driving and eluding police.

Patrolwoman Marissa Ciccone reported that doctors said Chamberlain had a broken nose but would be examined by the trauma team for other injuries. Lt. Seth Crosby reported that Texas sent a “hit confirmation” and said they did want to extradite.

Patrolman John DeAngelis investigated the accident and reported that the evidence indicated that what Altomari and Chamberlain said about the accident was apparently true. He said the typical skid from a car hitting a tree is about 28 feet at 25 miles per hour on a flat asphalt surface. Chamberlain’s vehicle left 157 feet of rubber between the tree and the place it stopped. DeAngelis said the rubber was consistent with highway speeds well in excess of 50 miles per hour and certainly consistent with Altomari’s estimate of 80. DeAngelis determined Chamberlain wasn’t wearing a seat belt and left a hole in the middle of the windshield.

STOLEN CAR

A Johnston woman was charged with stealing her mother’s car on March 16. Patrolman Mario Mennella reported going to the mother’s apartment around 4 a.m. for a disturbance between the two women. The mother had reported her car stolen on March 14 and told police her daughter finally came home with the car around 2 a.m. and they fought about her taking the car and her mother’s purse and using them to get drugs. Mennella said the younger woman willingly admitted, “I took the car so I could buy some drugs to supply my habit,” and admitted using her mother’s credit cards to pay for a motel room in Scituate where she and a friend smoked crack cocaine for a couple of days. The woman was arrested and taken to headquarters and Mennella went to the motel to retrieve the purse and its contents and drug paraphernalia from the room. He said he also learned the suspect cashed some of her mother’s checks and used her credit card at Amazing Video in Warwick, and cash to pay for the drugs. Lisa M. Ise, 34, of 1141 Hartford Ave. was charged with larceny over $1,500 and being a probation violator. Bail was set at $10,000 surety and Ise was remanded to the ACI when she couldn’t post the bail.

HOT WHEELS

Patrolman Derek Parascandolo was dispatched to 15 Industrial Lane around 1:40 a.m. on March 14 for a suspicious vehicle in the rear of the building. He said the owner of the business called police to say the truck did not belong there. Parascandolo said he checked the truck and found the hood was warm, the door unlocked and the keys on the seat. He said there were footprints in the mud leading toward Metro Fiat on Hartford Avenue and a four-foot fence between the two businesses. He said he looked in the back lot of the dealership and found several cars with damage, including two Honda Accords propped up on milk crates with all the wheels stacked beside them. He said there was a tire iron, lug nuts and a lug nut key on the ground. Another officer told dispatch he had a suspect running, with a dark wool hat and dark knit gloves. He then said he caught the suspect standing behind a bush in front of the building. Patrolman David Galligan said the man he caught had glass fragments embedded in his knit gloves, indicating he had been breaking some windows. Jesus Gonzalez, 22, of 1375 Towerhill Rd. in South Kingstown was charged with larceny and attempted larceny. Police said the tires and wheels were worth $4,000.