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Providence municipal judge dismisses multiple traffic and parking cases during morning docket
Summary
At a morning session of the Municipal Court of Providence, a judge dismissed several traffic and parking matters — citing unreadable meters, first-time offenses, credibility and emergency family circumstances — while imposing a $35 court cost in one red-light case.
A judge at the Municipal Court of Providence dismissed several traffic and parking cases during the morning docket, citing first-time offenses, unclear meter markings and urgent family circumstances.
The docket opened with Donald Round, who told the court he visited the Children's Museum with his granddaughter and could not read the downtown parking meter despite putting money into it. "I couldn't read the parking meter," Round said. Inspector Carrigan responded that "some of the meters get defaced," and the judge dismissed the $25 ticket as Round's first Providence offense.
The court also heard from Angelo Shell, who faced two red-light violations at the same location. Shell described his large family and a long history of personal change, and told the bench the first incident involved the light flashing on the car in front of him. The judge dismissed one violation and imposed a $35 court cost for the second.
Heather Rodriguez told the judge she turned right on red while rushing her son to the Hasbro emergency room and did not see a 'no right on red' sign. "I was taking my son to the emergency room," Rodriguez said. The judge noted Rodriguez had appeared in court despite personal tragedy that day — she reported her grandfather had died hours earlier — and dismissed the charge.
Mister Clark contested multiple parking tickets that dated back many years and a school-zone speeding charge; the judge dismissed the old parking tickets and gave a break on the school-zone speeding (one mile over) in light of the defendant picking up his granddaughter.
Attorney Thomas Gidley, appearing for himself as a retired attorney, disputed a Branch Avenue school-zone ticket and suggested another vehicle may have been involved. The judge referenced Gidley's longstanding community contributions and dismissed that matter as well.
Throughout the session the judge frequently framed outcomes with remarks about responsibility and family obligations. Inspector Carrigan and other prosecutors offered routine factual observations on specific stops and visibility. The morning docket closed after a series of dismissals and a single modest court cost. The court did not identify further scheduling or appeals during the portion of the docket on record.
