Rhode Island city solicitors did not honor a request from a federal prosecutor in the state to dismiss a driving under the influence charge against him, The Providence Journal reported today.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan was arrested with several other people over the Thanksgiving holiday in Warwick, R.I., after two motorists contacted police about the driver of a BMW — identified as Sullivan — who they said was driving erratically. Sullivan was charged with refusing to take a breathalyzer test, and was later charged with driving under the influence.
The police report said Sullivan informed the arresting officers of his prosecutorial job numerous times. He also told the officers he knew the police chief and asked if there was “anything he could do,” according to the report.
Sullivan’s lawyer, Kevin J. Bristow, and Warwick city solicitor Robert J. Sgroi would not comment to The Journal about why the driving under the influence charge wasn’t thrown out. The case is in the pretrial phase.
The alleged drunk driving incident is being investigated by the Justice Department.
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The AUSA refused the breath test? Does he know something about those unreliable machines from his days, perhaps as a young prosecutor cutting his teeth on DUI trials? Driving erratically in his Beemer? Says who? A couple of non-trained, civilian witnesses?