Credibility

Defendant appealed the decision of the trial magistrate sustaining the violation of R.I.G.L. 1956 § 31-15-12 (interval between vehicles). Defendant argued that the trial magistrate abused his discretion by crediting the testimony of the officer over that of the defendant. The Appeals Panel held that the defendant failed to rebut the officer’s testimony that he was driving at ten to fifteen feet from the officer’s cruiser. The Court also held that only the finder of fact may assess the credibility of the witnesses. Accordingly, the Court affirmed the trial magistrate.

State of Rhode Island v. James Adams, C.A. T09-0013 (March 3, 2010).pdf