Defendant appealed a decision of the West Warwick Municipal Court, sustaining a violation of R.I. Gen. Laws § 1956 31-17-2 (vehicle turning left or right). The allegation was that the Defendant turned left into ongoing traffic when he was required to yield. Defendant argued that the West Warwick Municipal Court did not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the violation because the alleged accident that Defendant was involved in happened in Warwick, not West Warwick. The evidence suggested that the side of the street on which the Defendant had been driving was in West Warwick, but the side of the street onto which he turned and where the accident took place was in Warwick. The Appeals Panel noted that the Trial Judge relied on the evidence presented by two witnesses at trial to decide the case, including the testimony of the citing officer, that established that the failure to yield before turning, which constituted the violation, occurred in West Warwick. Therefore, the Appeals Panel found that the Town of West Warwick maintained the authority to issue the citation, as well as adjudicate the matter in West Warwick Municipal Court. Accordingly, the Appeals Panel denied Defendant’s appeal and sustained the charged violation.
Town of West Warwick v. John D. Vieira, No. M17-0004 (April 12, 2018)
Case Index
- Refusal to Submit
- Anonymous Tips
- Arrest
- Availability of a Breathalyzer Machine/ Operator
- Burden of Proof
- Coercion by Officer
- Collateral Estoppel
- Constitutional Issues
- Constructive Refusal to Submit
- Credibility Determinations
- Default Judgment
- Deficient Sample
- Discovery
- Dismissal
- Double Charging
- Evidence
- Fellow-Officer Rule
- Field Sobriety Tests
- Identifying the Defendant
- Inability to Cure a Refusal by Subsequently Submitting
- Jurisdiction of Police Officers
- Knowing and Voluntary Decision
- Missing or Incomplete Transcript
- Motion to Vacate
- Operation of Motor Vehicle
- Penalty
- Physical Inability to Submit to a Chemical Test
- Preliminary Breath Test
- Preliminary Suspension
- Procedure
- Reasonable Grounds/Probable Cause
- Reasonable Suspicion to Stop
- Right to an Independent Medical Examination
- Right to Appeal
- Right to Counsel
- Rights for Use at Station
- Rights for Use at the Scene
- Summons
- Sworn Report
- Telephone Call
- Trial Judge's Findings of Facts
- Traffic Violations
- Aggressive Driving
- Airport Regulations
- Appellate Procedure
- Axle Restriction
- Bailee Plates
- Bolstering
- Burden of Proof
- Care in Starting from Stop
- Clearance for Overtaking
- Colin B. Foote Act
- Collateral Estoppel
- Commercial Motor Vehicle Violation
- Conditions Requiring Reduced Speed
- Constitutional Issues
- Cost and Fees
- Credibility
- Crosswalk Violation
- Default Judgment
- Discovery
- Dismissal
- Double Jeopardy
- Due Care by Drivers
- Evidence
- Failure to Maintain Control
- Failure to Prosecute
- Good Driving Statute
- Hearsay
- Identification
- Immediate Notice of Accident
- Inspection Laws
- Interval between Vehicles
- Issuance of License
- Judicial Notice
- Jurisdiction
- Jurisdiction of Police Officers
- Laned Roadway Violation
- Leaving the Scene
- License on Person
- Manner of Turning
- Newly Discovered Evidence
- Obedience to Devices
- Obedience to Police Officers
- Open Container
- Operating an Unregistered Vehicle
- Operating without Insurance
- Operation by person other than Lessee
- Overtaking on Right
- Overtaking on the Left
- Parking or Stopping Prohibited
- Parties to an Offense
- Passing
- Pedestrians on Freeways
- Penalties
- Places Where U-Turns Prohibited
- Procedure
- Salvage Laws
- School Bus Violations
- Scituate Town Ordinance 7.2(a)
- Seat Belt Use
- Speeding
- Stop sign
- Summons
- Text Messaging While Driving
- Toll Violation
- Traffic Control Signals
- Transporting Animals
- Turn Signal Required
- Unauthorized Practice of Law
- Venue
- Visibility of Plates
- Weight Restrictions