By Newport This Week Staff | on July 14, 2022
A lawyer for one of two men arrested on Thames Street June 26 on in downtown Newport contend that police acted inappropriately, while Newport police spokesperson Lt. April Amaral has denied early media reports that a police officer has been placed on temporary leave of absence due to injury. Amaral said the department had made no administrative changes while state police and attorney general’s office complete their investigations.
The June 26 incident, which was recorded on multiple cellphone videos by bystanders and shared widely online, ended with Christopher Adam, 22, being charged with misdemeanor counts of obstructing an officer in execution of duty and resisting arrest, and Dennis Engleson, 22, facing charges for disorderly conduct, obstruction and resisting arrest.
An online video taken during the arrests shows Det. Patrick Walsh striking Adam in the face before tackling him to the ground.
Walsh “feared [Adam] was about to act violently,” Det. Jason Roach said during the arraignment of the two men on misdemeanor charges in Newport Superior Court on July 6, and “attempted to get up” after being tackled to the ground.
The footage shared on numerous social media websites appears to show Walsh striking Adam a second time while on top of him.
According to the official police report, Engleson was acting “belligerent,” yelling and tossing a silicone bar mat at a passerby. He was asked by Officer John Sullivan to vacate the area on five separate occasions, according to the report, but refused to do so.
After being detained against a city trolley, Engleson “thrashed” and attempted to break Sullivan’s grip, according to the narrative.
According to the report, while Engleson was being handcuffed, Adam “interjected” himself into the situation, leading to assistance by Walsh and Officer Neil Sullivan.
As for any additional body camera footage obtained during the arrests, Amaral confirmed that personnel wear the devices while on duty, but on the night in question the only department member wearing one was Sgt. Matthew Clark, the supervising officer on the scene.
Amaral could not confirm whether Walsh’s camera was operating, but noted that the presence of a body camera may not mean that footage was obtained.
“They only hold so much battery life. So, if [they] work a double [shift], which most of our officers do because we are so short-staffed, the body cameras will die by the end of the [shift],” she said. “On a normal shift, there may be one or two officers who don’t have one. But a majority of our uniformed officers have one.”
Newport This Week has filed a public records request for all body camera footage available and is awaiting a response.
Both men pleaded not guilty to all charges and requested the case be transferred to Superior Court to be heard before a jury, provided state prosecutors decide to proceed with the prosecutions.
Under Rule 23 of Rhode Island judicial rules of procedure, jury trials do not take place in District Court. Not guilty pleas are adjudicated via bench trial with the presiding judge as final arbiter. Defendants found guilty after a District Court bench trial may still appeal the decision to Superior Court.
Outside the courthouse after the arraignment, Adam’s attorney, Christopher Milea, said he is confident a jury would agree that the arrests were unwarranted and that police officers acted inappropriately.
Craig Hein, the attorney for Engleson, declined to comment on the specifics of the case, but professed his client’s innocence and agreed the matter should be decided by a jury trial.
Engelson’s pretrial conference is scheduled for Aug. 3, while Adam has a pretrial conference scheduled for Aug. 10. Both cases will be argued before Superior Court Judge Maureen Keough, according to court records.
A Police Officer’s job on a late summer weekend downtown is not enviable. There are many people who have over-imbibed and acting out, sometimes violently. Many officers are injured during the course of the summer, and they are often outnumbered by surrounding crowds yelling at the officers to let someone go. Yes, there are officers who sometimes overreact and need to face discipline, but it is far more common for the members of the public to misbehave and deserve restraint and arrest. Anyone who doubts these observations needs to spend some time walking on Thames St. after midnight on a summer weekend evening. It may shock you. Why do you think most of the quality restaurants close there doors well before that time? They know what happens if they stay open later.
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