In an emotional session at the Municipal Court of Providence, Judge Caprio resolved four short traffic matters on the spot, dismissing or reducing penalties and distributing small amounts of donated cash to defendants who described economic hardship.

The judge opened by saying, “In my courtroom, these 4 stories touched my heart the most,” and then heard each case in turn. In the first matter, Yannelle Gueran told the court she had four overnight parking tickets at the same location, that her car was not yet registered and she could not get a permit sticker, and that she would start a job on Oct. 5. “It’s my first time in court,” Gueran said. Judge Caprio noted the fines had been tripled to $200 but said he would fine her for only one ticket and allow time to pay. He also announced that a caller, Gary Ashcraft of Eustis, Florida, had sent $25 “to help a single mom,” and that he would give Gueran $50 in cash to use for her daughter’s needs. “I am gonna give you $50 in cash for you to use to take care of your baby,” the judge said.

In the second case presented, Kyle Smith told the court he was homeless and was sleeping in his car. He had made a $10 partial payment on a $30 parking ticket. After discussing Smith’s circumstances and the limits of his resources, Judge Caprio dismissed the remaining balance. The judge said he had received a letter and $50 from a donor, which he directed the court inspector to give to Smith for nourishment.

A third defendant appeared on a red-light summons. Court staff determined the vehicle was registered to a dealership and that the dealership had provided the defendant’s name to the court; based on that representation the judge returned the summons to the dealership and exonerated the defendant from the charge. After that ruling, Judge Caprio shared a personal anecdote about his immigrant father, who as a milkman would not stop deliveries to children even when accounts were delinquent, explaining the origin of his practice of using voluntary contributions to help people in need.

The final matter involved Victor Calaver, a nonagenarian who said he drives slowly and was taking his handicapped son to blood work. The judge expressed sympathy for the defendant’s caregiving role and dismissed the school-zone speeding charge.

All four matters were resolved in open court: two tickets were formally dismissed, one defendant was exonerated and one was fined for a single ticket with time to pay, and small donated cash amounts were applied to defendants’ needs. The court did not schedule further hearings for these specific cases on the record.

Quotes in this report are taken from the Municipal Court proceeding as recorded in the transcript. Where the transcript contained inconsistent spellings or references (for example, for a court inspector and for one defendant), this article uses the names as first introduced and notes ambiguities in the records.