Police File a Spate of Domestic-Assault Charges Last Weekend

A spate of domestic-assault arrests last Friday and Saturday evenings, May 10 to 11, kept the East Providence police on their toes.

Police filed charges against four East Providence residents and a Pawtucket man, who also was charged with a theft.

The first alleged domestic assault came on Friday at 5:36 pm. Marjorie H. Rigo, 58, of 78 Tower Ave., reportedly slapped a girlfriend of her estranged husband and her husband, who stepped between them, outside a Cumberland Farms store on Sutton Avenue while they were buying gasoline for his motorcycle.

No one was injured, and Rigo was released on personal recognizance by a bail commissioner after being taken to the police station to be arraigned.

A few minutes later on Friday, Eleni Ziaka, 59, of 38 Star Ave., was arrested and charged with domestic simple assault and domestic disorderly conduct.

Police reported that she got into an alleged heated argument with her ex-husband, who shares the same home address, inside the Town Pizza restaurant in Riverside. He owns the restaurant. 

Ziaka allegedly pushed and struck him in front of restaurant customers, police reported. She was given a trespass notice to stay out of the restaurant. 

Later on Friday evening, police arrested and charged Jason M. Duarte, 29, of 33 Glenrose Drive, with domestic vandalism and domestic disorderly conduct for a third time. The charges were filed after an argument with his wife over driving her car with a suspended license.

Duarte allegedly threw his wife’s cell phone at her feet, breaking it. She requested that he be removed from the house because of his violence issues, police reported. Because it is a third disorderly conduct charge, it is being treated as a felony, police said.

On Saturday afternoon around 4 pm, John A. DeFeo, 33, of Pawtucket, was charged with domestic simple assault for a third time and snatching the purse of his East Providence girlfriend, according to police. 

He allegedly got into an argument with her at Pershing Auto Body, where she was buying tires. Police said he pinched and struck her leg inside her car. And he reportedly stole $80 from her purse, which he snatched from the car, police said. 

The contents of the purse reportedly fell on the ground while it was being snatched; the $80 disappeared while they picked up the contents together, police said. Four $20 bills were late found on him after he was taken to the police station to be arraigned. He was arrested behind a bar just north of the auto body shop, police said.

The final domestic assault charge came at 6:33 pm after an altercation between Melissa A. Caparco, 37, of 20 Vine St. and her husband. He was reportedly scratched on his arm and forehead during the fight.

He did not want to file charges against her, according to the police report. But RI domestic violence laws demand that police file charges in these situations and let a District Court judge handle the case.