A woman in the custody of the Jamestown Police Department escaped from Newport Hospital on Monday morning after slipping out of her handcuffs, according to a statement from the department. At approximately 8:20 a.m., the woman reported feeling ill while officers were preparing to transport her to Newport District Court for an arraignment on a […]
Police & Fire
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Middletown police department earns third state reaccreditation
The Middletown Police Department has received its third reaccreditation from the Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission, the department announced Thursday. The reaccreditation follows a comprehensive review of the department’s policies, procedures, training and operations, measured against 230 standards established by RIPAC. Those standards cover administration, personnel, operations, prisoner services and technical support functions. Officer Jean […]
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16 motorists arrested for impaired driving during regional enforcement campaign on parade day
A regional law enforcement campaign targeting impaired drivers on Saint Patrick’s Day Parade day resulted in 16 arrests across Aquidneck Island and South County, Newport Police Chief Ryan Duffy announced Monday. Officers from the Tiverton, Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport, Jamestown, North Kingstown, South Kingstown and Narragansett police departments, along with Rhode Island State Police, participated in […]
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Newport man arrested on illegal weapons charges after threatening social media posts
Rhode Island State Police arrested a Newport man Thursday on multiple illegal weapons charges after he allegedly made threats of violence on social media, authorities said. Alexander Bestoso, 27, of 3 Morgan St., was taken into custody after state police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms executed a search warrant at his home […]
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Sprawling investigation finds decades of sexual abuse among Catholic priests in Rhode Island
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Catholic priests in Rhode Island preyed on hundreds of children for decades, and were protected by bishops more concerned with the church’s reputation than the victims, according to a new report on clergy sexual abuse that echoes findings elsewhere. The report, released Wednesday by Attorney General Peter […]
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Multiple law enforcement agencies to target impaired drivers during Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Local and state law enforcement agencies across Aquidneck Island and South County will join forces March 14 for a high-visibility impaired driving enforcement campaign coinciding with the 70th Annual Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade steps off at 11 a.m. from Newport City Hall, running through Washington Square, down Thames Street and ending at […]
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Salve Regina student dies of carbon monoxide poisoning in snow-covered vehicle during blizzard
A 21-year-old Salve Regina University student died Monday evening from carbon monoxide poisoning after being found unconscious inside a vehicle that was covered in snow, according to the Newport Police Department. Newport Police and Fire Departments responded to a Bellevue Avenue parking lot at about 7:20 p.m. on February 23 to check on a person […]
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Middletown Fire Department conducts rope and water rescue at Purgatory Chasm
The Middletown Fire Department conducted a rope and water rescue at Purgatory Chasm on Saturday after an individual was found in distress in the water near the chasm, according to a press release from Fire Chief Robert J. McCall. At approximately 10:05 a.m., Middletown Fire and Police Dispatch began receiving 911 calls reporting the individual […]
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Castle Hill Inn fire under investigation; restaurant could reopen ‘in coming months,’ Newport Restaurant Group says
Updated Feb. 6 at 3:25 p.m. The Newport Restaurant Group said Friday afternoon that damage from the overnight fire at Castle Hill Inn was “significant” but expressed confidence that the iconic Ocean Drive property would be restored. “We are in the process of assessing the damage from last night’s fire. While significant, we are confident […]
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Underwater drone catches fire on Route 24 in Tiverton; lithium-ion batteries prompt HazMat response
Tiverton fire and police responded Tuesday afternoon to the Route 24 southbound on-ramp from Main Road for a reported vehicle fire that turned out to be a 12-foot underwater drone on a trailer. Crews arrived at approximately 2:53 p.m. and found the drone actively on fire, according to a press release from the Tiverton Fire […]
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Coast Guard suspends search for people missing from fishing vessel that sank off Massachusetts
By MICHAEL CASEY, RODRIQUE NGOWI and PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press GLOUCESTER, Mass. (AP) — The search for survivors on a commercial fishing vessel that sank off the coast of Massachusetts with seven aboard has been suspended, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday. The Coast Guard launched a search and rescue mission early Friday after receiving […]
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Middletown woman charged with DUI after striking marked Newport police vehicle, fleeing scene
A 38-year-old Middletown woman is facing DUI and hit-and-run charges after allegedly striking a marked Newport police vehicle early Saturday morning and fleeing the scene, according to a press release from the Newport Police Department. The incident occurred at approximately 12:10 a.m. on Jan. 18 at the intersection of Eustis Avenue and Bliss Road, where […]
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Middletown father and son arrested on child sex assault charges
A father and son were arrested Thursday morning on charges related to a sexual assault investigation, according to the Middletown Police Department. Members of the Middletown Police Department, with assistance from the Rhode Island State Police Violent Fugitive Task Force, executed a court-authorized search warrant at 33 Beacon St. at approximately 6:30 a.m. as part […]
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Fire that killed 10 at an assisted living facility prompts Massachusetts to enact safety reforms
By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Pres BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts is enacting a series of safety reforms at assisted living facilities including increased inspections and better access to records following a fire last year that killed 10 residents, the governor announced Monday. The recommendations, detailed in a report from the Assisted Living Residents or ARL commission […]
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Westerly firefighters rescue a yellow Lab from an icy pond on New Year’s Day
WESTERLY, R.I. (AP) — A yellow Labrador out for a walk with his owner in Rhode Island had to be rescued by firefighters on New Year’s Day after he wandered onto a thin layer of ice covering a pond and fell through the center. According to the Misquamicut Fire Department, volunteer firefighters and other emergency […]
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How 1 anonymous tipster cracked the Brown University shooting case
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Information from a tipster who had a strange encounter with another man on a sidewalk outside Brown University was key to police identifying the suspect they believe killed two students at the school and then two days later gunned down a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor. Known only as “John” in a Providence […]
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Man suspected in Brown University shooting and MIT professor’s killing is found dead, officials say
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, ERIC TUCKER and HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press A frantic search for the suspect in last weekend’s mass shooting at Brown University ended at a New Hampshire storage facility where authorities discovered the man dead inside and then revealed he also was suspected of killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor. Claudio Neves […]
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Police are investigating link between Brown shooting and killing of MIT professor, AP sources say
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Authorities said Thursday that they’re looking into a connection between last weekend’s mass shooting at Brown University and an attack two days later near Boston that killed a professor at another elite school, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That is according to […]
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What to know about the search for the Brown University shooting suspect
By PATRICK WHITTLE and LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — With the Brown University shooter still on the loose Tuesday, authorities released new video of a suspect and police fanned out to Providence schools to reassure parents, kids and teachers as investigators pushed for new evidence that might help them crack the case. Here’s a […]
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Brown mourns the loss of an aspiring doctor and campus leader to the campus attack
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and KATHY McCORMACK Associated Press A makeshift shrine of flowers and condolence cards has gone up outside of the Brown University building where a gunman killed two students and wounded nine others, with the Ivy League school and surrounding community trying to make sense of the tragedy. As investigators pursue clues about the gunman, who remained at […]
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Police fan out to Providence schools to calm worries with the Brown University shooter still loose
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Additional police were sent to Providence schools on Tuesday to reassure worried parents that their kids will be safe even with the Brown University shooter on the loose and no indication yet that investigators have zeroed in on a suspect. Authorities on Monday released several new […]
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Newport police increase patrols in response to Brown University shooting, Bondi Beach attack
The Newport Police Department says that it has increased patrols and security presence across the city in response to the mass shooting at Brown University and a terrorist attack in Australia that together killed 18 people over the weekend. Officers from Newport were among those who responded to the Providence campus Saturday after a gunman […]
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Fall River man charged after Route 24 rollover crash leaves juvenile with life-threatening injuries
An 18-year-old Fall River man has been charged with driving to endanger resulting in serious bodily injury after a rollover crash Friday night left a juvenile passenger with life-threatening injuries, Portsmouth police announced Monday. Michael A. Montanez Verdejo was arrested Saturday in connection with the single-vehicle crash on Route 24 North near Cedar Island that […]
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Newport man facing multiple charges after breaking and entering investigation
A 60-year-old man with no permanent address is facing more than a dozen charges following an investigation into a string of break-ins and thefts across Newport, police announced Monday. Steven Kuntz was arraigned in Newport District Court on Dec. 1 on charges including breaking and entering into a residence, breaking and entering into a business, […]
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North Kingstown man charged with DUI after crashing into South Kingstown coffee shop
A North Kingstown man was arrested early Tuesday morning after police say he crashed his vehicle into a local coffee shop while driving under the influence. Mark A. DeLong, 30, of Great Neck Road, was taken into custody at approximately 1:25 a.m. after his 2025 Tesla struck TLC Coffee Roasters at 3362 Kingstown Road in […]