One of Rhode Island’s top Democrats was charged with driving under the influence after he refused to submit to a blood-alcohol test, a local NBC affiliate reports.
Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio was pulled over by police and charged with a DUI Wednesday morning after a nervous local reported that a car was driving erratically.
NBC 10 in Providence explains:
According to the police report, Ruggerio said he was following a friend to a woman's house and that he was coming from a benefit in Providence. He admitted to drinking earlier in the night, according to the report.
An officer said in the report that Ruggerio failed a battery of field sobriety tests and that he had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. Ruggerio refused to submit to a blood-alcohol test.
Ruggerio, 63, was arraigned by justice of the peace at the Barrington police station and released on personal recognizance. He was ordered to appear in Providence District Court on April 4.
Transcript:
ANCHOR: Sen. Ruggerio, well, is in the news again, after another driver allegedly saw him swerving and called police.
REPORTER: Well, Gene, it appears that while we have not spoken to the senator himself, he was coming from a fundraiser for another senator and he told police he was following a friend of his—that was probably Sen. Frank Ciccone—to visit a woman in Barrington, when he was pulled over last night, just after midnight.
REPORTER: The Barrington police officer says Ruggerio was polite and cooperative, but that he was drunk when pulled over last night about midnight. When officers stopped Ruggerio’s car, "the video stopped in the middle of the road," not pulling over to the side, and "I could smell the strong odor of consumed alcohol…he had bloodshot, watery eyes…a flushed red face, and heavily slurred speech." It was a citizen who called police and reported erratic driving.
REPORTER: And you applaud that sort of thing?
GABRIELLE ABBATE: We do, we absolutely do. They did the right thing, they called 911, they got the right people out there. They didn’t go out and follow them to the point that they put themselves in danger, or put other people in danger—yeah, they did the right thing.
REPORTER: But observers are critical of the senator, saying a high profile deserves a higher level of behavior.
MAN: He’s messing up, he needs to be doing it the right way. He sets an example for the rest of, you know, and if he’s goofing up like that he needs to take the repercussions like you or I would.
WOMAN: Definitely a problem. He’s supposed to be an example for other people, I would think.
MAN: Same as usual, I don’t think people are surprised by it.
REPORTER: Now Ruggerio issued a statement today, though he did not accept any interviews. He said in the statement that he accepts full responsibility for his actions last night and he regrets how this may impact his family, his constituents, his colleagues, and the Senate. He went on to say, "I look forward to resolving this matter and continuing to serve my constituents as vigorously as I have the past 32 years." Ruggerio not on the floor of the Senate today; he will face charges for DUI and for refusing a breathalyzer test.
ANCHOR: We’re digging now deeper into Ruggerio’s resume, run-ins and controversies. He was first elected in 1985, he also works for the Laborer’s International Union. Ruggerio was arrested in 1990 for allegedly stealing condoms from a CVS convenience store; the case was dropped after CVS decided not to press charges. Ruggerio also stirred controversy when he hired Stephen Ianazzi for a $88,000-a-year state job; at the time, Ianazzi was a 25-year-old with no college degree, who happens to be the son of a labor leader.