Parents charged following toddler’s August drowning

A Warwick Police investigation of an August drowning has resulted in criminal charges.

On Aug. 28, around 11:37 a.m., Warwick Police officers were dispatched to a residence on Gorham Avenue for the report of 3-year-old boy possibly drowning, according to a WPD press release.

Warwick Fire Department personnel arrived on the scene and attempted to resuscitate the child. He was transported to Hasbro Children’s Hospital and pronounced dead at 12:42 p.m.

Warwick Police Department’s Detective Division investigated the incident and subsequently arrested and charged the following two adults: Kaitlyn Nolan, 31, and David Holloway, 32, both of Warwick. The defendants have been identified as the victim’s parents in published reports.

Nolan was arrested and charged with five counts of cruelty to or neglect of a child, according to police. On Nov. 9, she was presented before a bail commissioner and was released on $5,000 bail, with surety.

Holloway, was arrested and charged with two counts of child endangerment, five counts of cruelty to or neglect of a child, one count of unnecessary cruelty to animals resulting in death, and one count of unnecessary cruelty to animals.

He was arraigned on Nov. 10 in District Court and bail was set at $50,000 personal recognizance along with special conditions recommended by the RI Department of Children, Youth and Families, according to Warwick Police. 

Police raid results in several arrests

On Nov. 9, Warwick Police officers assisted the Providence Police Department in serving a search warrant and an arrest warrant at 26 Highland Ave. in Warwick.

“As a result, evidence was located and a 29-year-old male identified as Vathna Keo was arrested and charged with License or Permit Required for Carrying Pistol — Other Weapons Prohibited (Ghost Gun), Possession of Firearms by Certain Persons Prohibited, and Large Capacity Feeding Devices Prohibited,” according to Warwick Police. “Another 29-year-old male, Miguel Perez, was also arrested and charged with Possession of Narcotics with Intent to Deliver.”

Both reside at the Highland Avenue address.

“The information leading to probable cause for each warrant was developed from an ongoing investigation conducted by the Providence Police Department,” according to Warwick Police Maj. Joel Thomas, Operations Bureau Commander. “Any additional inquiries should be forwarded to Providence Police.”

Providence police officials announced during a press conference that they raided two homes: one in Warwick and another in Norton, Massachusetts.

Perez, was taken into custody on a murder charge, Providence Police said during the press conference. Police also arrested 28-year-old Tyler Freeman of Norton, who, according to published reports, was also charged with murder.

Providence Police allege Perez and Freeman are responsible for the shooting deaths of Brian Fernandez, 29, and Sreylakh Ros, 30, who were found dead inside a parked pickup truck on Hathaway Street just after midnight on Oct. 28.

No trespass

Around 7:42 a.m., Sept. 18, Warwick Police were dispatched to McDonalds at 2390 Warwick Ave.

The manager had called police to eject a customer who brought a dog into the fast food restaurant.

“He stated that the dog did not have any type of harness that indicated the dog was a service dog,” Warwick Police Officer Kyle M. Palmer wrote in the incident report. “He asked the male to provide proof that the dog was a service animal and the (man) indicated that the dog was a service animal and (he) began to be very argumentative, stating he did not need proof.”

The restaurant had already served the man, and asked him to leave after he received the food. The man was also argumentative with police, according to the report. He was issued a No Trespass order, barring him from future visits to the McDonald’s location.

Pistol without a permit

Around 11:37 p.m., Sept. 17, Warwick Police responded to the Conimicut Point boat ramp at 390 Shawomet Ave., for the report of gun shots. A witness told police that he heard gunshots followed by a vehicle speeding off, but did not see who fired the shots.

Police only found one vehicle in the Conimicut Point Park parking lot. No one was inside. Police said they could see a box of 9MM luger ammunition in the center console of the front passenger compartment. The doors were unlocked and a window was open.

Police then noticed a green ammo can on the seat.

“A short time later, two individuals came from the east side of the park, walking toward the vehicle,” Warwick Police Officer Charles M. Walker wrote in the arrest report. “The individuals were asked to put their hands in the air and face away from us.”

Police identified the couple as a Johnston woman and Ariel Suarez, 34, of Providence. Police asked the man if he had any firearms in the vehicle parked in the lot. He said yes, “legally.” He produced a RI Blue card. He told police he had a gun in the car because he went to a firing range about three days earlier. He said he was homeless, and usually stores his guns at his mother’s house.

A further check of the vehicle discovered a single 9MM round in the front passenger cupholder and a bag of bullets in the passenger compartment.

“Ariel was asked numerous times by (police) about him shooting the firearm in the park grounds, to which he stated numerous times that he did not,” Walker wrote. “Ariel stated that he has not fired his firearm in three days since he went to the range and we could test his hands for gun powder residue.”

Police checked the handgun for any residue indicating it had been fired recently. They found some.

Police told Suarez that he was “improperly transporting his firearm” and considered the trunk to be “unsafe storage.” He was arrested and charged with Carrying a Pistol or Revolver Without a License or Permit. Police determined that “there was not enough evidence for the charge of Firing in a Compact Area,” according to the arrest report.

DUI & reckless driving

Just after midnight, Oct. 16, Warwick Police Officer Michael J. Rosa was on routine patrol in the area of the Interstate 95 South Exit 29 exit ramp when he spotted a gray Kia “merge directly in front of” his patrol cruiser, and then “fail to merge into a lane of travel and continue south in the breakdown lane.”

Eventually, Rosa allegedly clocked the driver between speeds of 45-56 MPH.

“As the vehicle failed to maintain its speed it also failed to maintain one lane of travel, weaving in and out of lanes nearly colliding with a passing vehicle that was positioned on its right,” Rosa wrote in the arrest report. He initiated a traffic stop, but the vehicle continued to travel on the interstate with the cruiser following, lights activated.

Rosa turned on his sirens, and after nearly three miles, the driver finally stopped.

Police identified the driver as Mark Edward Marsh, 59, of 916 Houston Circle, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Marsh told Rosa that he was “looking for a place to stop.”

Rosa noted the strong smell of alcohol in the vehicle.  The driver was asked to step out of the vehicle, but he refused, according to police.

He asked the driver to consent to a series of standardized field sobriety tests.

“Marsh was advised that if he elected not to consent then I would have to go off of all the observations that I had with his vehicle in motion and my personal contact with him,” Rosa wrote.

The driver exited the car after Rosa’s third request.

Marsh refused the sobriety tests. He was arrested and transported back to Warwick Police Headquarters. Marsh then refused to consent to a chemical breath test.

Police charged Marsh with DUI (BAC unknown, first offense), Reckless Driving and Other Offenses Against the Public. He was cited for Refusal to Submit to Chemical Test (first offense) and Use of Breakdown Lane for Travel, Laned Roadway Violations and Due Care by Driver.