Crime & Safety
RI Legislator Pleads Not Guilty to DUI, Drug Charges
Rep. Robert A. Watson, arrested in East Haven in April, reportedly vows to fight the charges.
The Rhode Island legislator who was on DUI and drug charges plead not guilty to the charges Tuesday in New Haven Superior Court, according to an Associated Press report.
In addition, Rep. Robert A. Watson reportedly vowed to fight the charges as he left the court room.
Watson 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.
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He was charged with DUI, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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.
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