RI Legislator Seeks Settlement of DUI Case

The lawyer for a Rhode Island legislator who was arrested in East Haven on DUI and drug charges made an unsuccessful attempt in court today to settle the case with a plea bargain.

Attorney Jack O’Donnell, representing Rhode Island state Rep. Robert Watson, met with Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph LaMotta in Superior Court Judge Karen Sequino’s chambers in New Haven Superior Court Thursday, but was not able to get an agreement with the prosecutor.

O’Donnell confirmed that he had made a proposal, but he declined to describe it, except that it does not involve accelerated rehabilitation.

"Negotiations are ongoing," O’Donnell said.

Judge Sequino continued the case until Sept. 23 without a court appearance by the defendant.

Watson was arrested on April 22 on Foxon Road when he was stopped by an East Haven Police Department DUI checkpoint.

Police said he failed a sobriety test, his breath smelled like alcohol and his clothes smelled like marijuana, and a search revealed he had a small quantity of marijuana and a smoking pipe in his pocket.

However, a breathalyzer test indicated he had a blood alcohol level of 0.05 percent, which is under the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

He was charged with DUI, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Since his arrest, the Connecticut Legislature decriminalized possession of small quantities of marijuana, making it an infraction rather than a criminal violation.

At the time of his arrest, Watson was the Republican Minority Leader of the Rhode Island House of Representatives. He stepped down from that leadership position because of the charges.

Watson has declined to comment on the charges since his arrest, except to say that he would deal with the matter through the legal process in court.

He pleaded not guilty in a court appearance in New Haven on July 21.