Former State Sen. Stephen Alves of West Warwick has been arrested for drunk driving after an accident on Route 146 In Lincoln. State Police say Alves struck a tractor-trailer truck near the Twin River casino exit.
Police say Alves drove his vehicle “directly into the rear of the tractor trailer.’’ Alves, a former Senate Finance Committee chairman, is a Statehouse lobbyist.
According to the R.I. state police, Alves failed a field sobriety test and was taken to the Lincoln barracks where he refused to submit to a breath test. He was arraigned before Justice of the Peace Joseph Rodgers on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, first offense. Alves was also cited for refusal to submit to a chemical test and assigned a court date before the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal on January 21, 2015.
The operator of the tractor trailer was transported to Fatima Hospital for complaints of pain. No other injuries were reported. Alves is being represented by William Murphy, former House speaker and one of Rhode Island’s most prominent criminal defense lawyers.
