Medway Teens Arrested After Beach Violence

Rhode Island police said a senior skip day gathering on Tuesday, May 19, spiraled into violence at two beaches, ending with nine arrests, several minor injuries and one officer taken to a hospital. Middletown police said trouble began at about 12:45 p.m. at Second Beach, where a crowd of roughly 1,000 juveniles and young adults had gathered. Narragansett police separately responded at 3:04 p.m. to reports of a stabbing at Narragansett Town Beach, where three people were hurt, according to local television reports and police statements. Two of those arrested in the broader beach response were 18-year-olds from Medway, Massachusetts. ### How did the day at Second Beach in Middletown unravel? Middletown police said officers were called after fights broke out on the beach and in the parking lot as large groups arrived for an unofficial senior skip day gathering. WJAR reported that mutual aid came from Rhode Island State Police, South Kingstown police, North Kingstown police and the state Department of Environmental Management. (turnto10.com) The crowd size reached about 1,000 people, according to police accounts carried by local outlets. WPRI reported that three people suffered minor injuries during the disturbance, while two suspects were treated at Newport Hospital after exposure to pepper spray. ### Which Medway teenager faces the most serious charge? Ronan Pinkham, 18, of Medway, Massachusetts, was charged with felony assault and driving under the influence, first offense, after police said he struck a Newport police officer with a car while trying to leave the Second Beach parking lot. (fallriverreporter.com) WJAR reported that Pinkham admitted to driving under the influence. (wpri.com) The injured Newport officer was taken to Newport Hospital, according to WJAR and WPRI. The severity of the officer’s injuries was not immediately clear in the reports published Wednesday. ### Who was the other Medway arrest, and who else was charged? Christian Cautilli, 18, of Medway, Massachusetts, was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and obstructing an officer in the execution of duty, according to Fall River Reporter’s account of the police arrests. (turnto10.com) The same report identified the other people arrested as residents of Fall River, Massachusetts, including adults and juveniles. Fall River Reporter listed additional charges including simple assault, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. The report said two adult arrests were not believed to be connected to the stabbings later reported at Narragansett Town Beach. (fallriverreporter.com) ### What happened later at Narragansett Town Beach? Narragansett police responded at 3:04 p.m. Tuesday to reports of multiple stabbings at Narragansett Town Beach, according to local reports surfaced in search results. WPRI and other local coverage said three people were injured there. The available reports did not clearly tie the Narragansett stabbing victims to the arrests made at Second Beach in Middletown. (fallriverreporter.com) Fall River Reporter said the two adult arrests it described did not appear related to the stabbings. ### What do police say about the response? (wpri.com) Mutual aid agencies from across the area responded as officers tried to clear the beaches and parking areas, according to local reports citing police. The agencies named in those reports included Rhode Island State Police, South Kingstown police, North Kingstown police and the state Department of Environmental Management. (fallriverreporter.com) Middletown police had not, in the reports reviewed Wednesday, released a broader investigative summary beyond the arrest details and injury counts. South Kingstown’s public arrest-report page notes that criminal charges are allegations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. ### What happens next in the case? The nine arrests reported Tuesday are expected to move through Rhode Island’s court process, with felony and misdemeanor charges varying by defendant. (fallriverreporter.com) Local police agencies were still identifying suspects and documenting the incidents in reports published through Wednesday, May 20. (southkingstownri.gov)