These reports come from the East Greenwich Police Department and are public information. An arrest does not mean the individual has been convicted of a crime. EG News does not identify those arrested for misdemeanor charges.
Monday, Feb. 16
9 a.m. – Police got another complaint about a truck blocking Liberty Street between Somerset and Greene streets. This time, the driver had intended to detach the truck from the trailer to avoid blocking the street but the truck got stuck on the ice. After about 15 minutes, they were able to move the truck and they began unloading. EGPD had notified the warehouse a few days before that trucks would need to be accompanied by a state-certified flagger to handle traffic while the trucks were unloading. The warehouse manager said he’d told his boss but that no flagger had shown up this day. Police issued parking tickets to two trucks blocking the roadway. Police told the manager the next step would be to have the trucks towed, at a minimum cost of $700.
Tuesday, Feb. 17
1:49 a.m. – Police arrested a Warwick man, 23, for driving under a foreign license after they pulled him over for speeding on Post Road. Routine checks showed both the suspended Rhode Island driver’s license and an active South Carolina license. The driver said he thought he could drive since one of his licenses was valid. Police gave him a district court summons and had his car towed from the scene.
Wednesday, Feb. 18
10:26 a.m. – Police were called to Fox Run because of a dumpster fire. Upon arrival, they found a large, blue metal dumpster in the driveway with lots of smoke coming from it. A man was shoveling snow into the dumpster in an attempt to put out the fire. EGFD was called. The man said he wasn’t sure why the fire happened, but acknowledged throwing cigarette butts into the dumpster. The resident was not home. EGFD arrived and put out the fire.
5:22 p.m. – The owner of ServPro on South County Trail told police a vehicle had been taken by an employee from a work site without her permission. The employee told police he’d been directed to return the truck to ServPro by the site supervisor. He said he was resigning from the company. The owner asked that the man stay on the premises while an inventory was carried out. After the inventory, the owner asked the man to turn over a shirt. After some discussion, the man was given his paycheck and said he would return with the shirt.
Sign up for the EG News newsletter here. You can like us on Facebook here, or follow us on Twitter (@egreenwichnews) here.
And, if you like what you’re reading, consider supporting East Greenwich News by clicking here.
Subscribe
Quote: 9 a.m. – Police got another complaint about a truck blocking Liberty Street between Somerset and Greene streets. This time, the driver had intended to detach the truck from the trailer to avoid blocking the street but the truck got stuck on the ice. After about 15 minutes, they were able to move the truck and they began unloading. EGPD had notified the warehouse a few days before that trucks would need to be accompanied by a state-certified flagger to handle traffic while the trucks were unloading. The warehouse manager said he’d told his boss but that no flagger had shown up this day. Police issued parking tickets to two trucks blocking the roadway. Police told the manager the next step would be to have the trucks towed, at a minimum cost of $700. Unquote
What a way to run a town! East G obviously doesn’t need the business and who will want to inhabit that warehouse if this company decides they have had enough? Anyone living here longer than 30 years would remember that light and even a little heavy industry was always mixed in with residential areas, especially Main Street and east to the water. We never complained if a trailer truck was unloading, we drove out another route. Obviously the warehouse and the truckers are trying to work it out by disconnecting the rigs and such. People today would complain about the trains if they thought they had a chance to get the railroad to move the tracks… but where? That area was industrial a hundred years ago and it is still industrial. What’s the matter with you people?
Alan,
It’s much deeper than what you’ve observed and called out above. The disconnecting of the cab to the trailer is only a result of repeated attempts to get the tenant to resolve the situation. At times, there have been three 40’+ trucks blocking both Liberty & Union streets, and in the event of any emergency, this provides ZERO passage for responders. Someone having a heart attack? “Go around.” Someone’s house on fire? “Try another block.” Both Crestar and Centreville Bank back up to Liberty, and both are fantastic neighbors, each maintaining their properties and taking proper measures to “keep the peace.” At Centreville, cars can only go left out of the drive-through (away from the neighborhood), and at Crestar, they have a shelter covering their loading area. They play nice, and it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed (I happily bring art to Crestar for framing as an example).
This particular property was an issue when Alex & Ani were tenants a couple years back – the parking lot is not curbed properly and is an accident waiting to happen (cars often cut the stop sign at Union, zipping through the uncurbed lot). Because of the high amount of foot traffic – including kids walking to their bus stops – it will only take one fatality to make this a much larger problem than it is today.
I think most people living in town understand that there are plusses to living here (proximity to great restaurants, bars & shops, as well as the library and Academy Field), and that you take the good with the bad. But in this case, the bad has gone a bit too far.
Dan – Proximity to things is fine but because of this almost constant complaining about the slightest infringements, the village does not have a market when they could have had one when Dave’s bought a building that had been a market since 1940. Local neighbors, some of whom had been there when it was a First National Store, objected to having the delivery trucks. Perhaps today delivery trucks have to come in one at a time – with others waiting in queue on the outskirts until their turn. I’m sure they all have cellphones and can call in appointments. Crestar is in the old telephone garage – they parked their local trucks there so yes, he has room to move. As you say, Alex and Ani were there and now they are not. It just seems there has to be a way to accommodate this business or else they might as well knock the warehouse down and put up affordable housing. All I am saying is calling the cops every time someone has to divert around a delivery truck is getting old. Main Street is a disaster some times with beer and grocer trucks making deliveries. We live with it. But I see your point too.
Alan and Dan, there is a potential solution to this issue. There is an existing loading dock at the site, which is in poor repair so it cannot be used. Why not fix it? I’ve emailed Allen Gammons about the loading dock but time for a followup phone call. Stay tuned.