Crime & Safety

Middletown Police Report Weekend DUI and Marijuana Arrests

The Middletown Police Department reported the following weekend arrests.

The reported the following arrests from the weekend of Friday, April 15, to Sunday, April 17:

  • Stephanie T. Sawicki, 45, of 164 Booth Memorial Avenue, Queens, NY, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, failing to stop after a motor vehicle accident and refusing to submit to a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) breath test on Saturday around 3:21 a.m. According to the arrest report, Sawicki’s 1984 gray Cadillac El Dorado was involved in a rear-end car accident with a black SUV driven by William Ferrell on Valley Road near East Main Road and allegedly drove off afterwards. Police stopped Sawicki’s car on West Main Road and reportedly detected the smell of alcohol in her car. A field sobriety test was conducted, as well as preliminary blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) breath tests, in which Sawicki allegedly failed to blow into the meter properly, resulting in deficient samples. Police also allege that she agreed to submit to a blood test at Newport Hospital but later changed her mind after arriving.
  • Ruchita Kiran Patel, 24, of 11 Admiralty Drive., Apt. #8, Middletown, was arrested Saturday around 10:37 a.m. on a misdemeanor first offense charge of marijuana possession and an outstanding arrest warrant issued from the Second District Court. According to the arrest report, police went to the defendant’s apartment to issue the arrest warrant. While in the apartment, she allegedly asked the arresting officers to help find her keys and cell phone, which were on the bed in the living room. When police moved a blanket to recover the phone, they saw a glass marijuana pipe and small bag of marijuana next to the phone, according to the arrest report. She was arraigned by a Justice of the Peace, the police report stated.
  • Albert L. Fecteau, 58, of 23 Bleu Lane, Portsmouth, was arrested Friday around 2:05 p.m. on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol and refusing to submit to a chemical test to measure his BAC level. According to the arrest report, police stopped his vehicle on Oliphant lane after observing it cross the center line at a high rate of speed. Upon questioning, police detected the smell of alcohol and conducted a field sobriety test. A preliminary BAC breath test allegedly registered a .212 BAC reading. According to the arrest report, a search of the vehicle turned up one opened Coors Light beer can and two closed cans. He was later arraigned by a Justice of the Peace, police reported.
  • On Friday around 7:26 p.m., police arrested a 15-year-old youth on a misdemeanor charge of fraudulent use of a credit card. According to the arrest report, a parent reported the youth had used her credit card to purchase online games without her consent and the credit card company was unwilling to reimburse for the charges.
  • Michael H. Neckritz, 42, of 13 Draper Ave, Middletown, was arrested Friday night around 9:10 p.m. on misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license.  According to the arrest report, police stopped his car on Valley Road near the intersection of Aquidneck Avenue after observing it allegedly speeding at 52 miles per hour and passing vehicles in the wrong lane in the breakdown lane. While conducting a search of the car, police allegedly recovered a metal case with marijuana inside. A background check revealed the driver had a suspended license. Neckritz was released and ordered to appear at the Second District Court on May 6, 2011 to answer the charges, police reported.
  • Jacob A. Kane, 20, of 142 Vandzandt Ave., Apt. 402, Newport, was arrested Friday around 11:34 p.m. on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor charge of first offense marijuana possession. According to the arrest report, police stopped a 1998 Ford SUV on West Main Road for a license plate obstruction violation and Kane was a passenger. According to the arrest report, the driver was known by police to allegedly possess small amounts of marijuana, so the driver and all passengers were asked if there were any drugs in the vehicle. During questioning, police observed Kane's behavior to be suspicious and questioned him further to which he allegedly replied that he had "a quarter ounce of weed in my backpack." Police allege they recovered the marijuana in a plastic bag and arrested Kane. Upon further search of his belongings, police also allegedly recovered two controlled narcotic pain reliever pills of hydrocodone from inside a pack of Newport cigarettes. Kane told police he did not know the pills were there and that he had purchased the half smoked pack from a friend for $5.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.