Crime & Safety

Woman, 20, Faces Drunk-Driving Charges After Car Smashes Fence

The Oak Crest Drive woman reportedly spent several hours last Friday drinking at the American Legion Hall in Riverside.

A 20-year-old East Providence woman faces drunk-driving charges after her vehicle smashed through a picket fence and struck a tree at a home on Willett Avenue in Riverside early last Friday morning.

Veronica F. Smith, 20, of 44 Oak Crest Drive, East Providence failed to make the turn at Oak Crest Drive at around 1:42 am, police said, after reportedly drinking with her boyfriend at the American Legion Hall in Riverside for several hours. She was not injured in the crash. 

The arrest report says that Smith told the patrol officer who asked her how much she had to drink: “A lot. I’m really drunk.” 

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The police officer said Smith had difficulty standing and showed all the signs of being inebriated, such as blood-shot eyes, slurred speech and difficulty even answering simple questions. He reported that she was incapable of operating a motor vehicle.

Smith was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, failure to maintain control of her vehicle, and refusing to take both a field sobriety test and a Breathalyzer test to determine her blood-alcohol level.

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Smith told the patrol officer that her mother told her never to take the tests, according to the arrest report.

Smith's vehicle also is believed to have struck a tree in Barrington earlier that night, according to the police report. The vehicle reportedly left the scene of that crash before Barrington police could respond.

Smith was arraigned at the East Providence police station and held overnight. She received a summons to appear in District Court this week.


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