Local man arrested; was fugitive from Mass.
WOONSOCKET – A city man was sent to the state prison this week as a fugitive from Massachusetts after police arrested him on Rathbun Street with opioid drugs and an illegal knife in his borrowed van.
Anthony Jillson Molyneaux, 41, of no permanent address, was also wanted on local police charges from two incidents dating back to July, including failure to notify police of a sex offender address change. He was also wanted for felony domestic assault for allegedly beating his brother with the leg of a table and a seemingly unlikely weapon – a bicycle.
Police reports say they found Molyneaux about 5 a.m. last Saturday while they were assisting Blackstone police search for a suspect in a business break. Molyneaux’s lanky physique and the gray Dodge Caravan both matched information about a possible suspect, Blackstone police told city officers.
When police questioned Molyneaux, he allegedly gave them a false name, but later confessed that he had done so because he knew he had a warrant out for his arrest.
As he was taken into custody, police said he was in possession of a knife and buprenorphine, a prescription drug used to treat the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. They also found a small quantity of powder fentanyl,
a synthetic opioid increasingly blamed for accidental overdose deaths, in a backpack in the van.
During a preliminary appearance in Sixth District Court, Molyneaux was arraigned on new charges of obstructing police; two counts of possession of a controlled substance; and possession of a illegal wepaon. Bail was set at a total of $52,000 with surety on those counts, according to the state Department of Corrections inmate database.
However, he’s held without bail as a fugitive from Massachusetts where, police reports say, he is wanted for violating his probation on several felony convictions originating out of Bellingham. A rendition hearing is scheduled for Dec. 26 in Sixth District Court, according to the judiciary’s web site.
The Rhode Island Sex Offender Registry lists Molyneaux as a Level III sex offender, deemed to be the highest risk for committing another sex-related offense. The registry provides few details, but it says his status originates from an incident in New Jersey and that the victim was a 17-yearold female familiar with Molyneaux. The DOC’ s database indicates Molyneaux has been incarcerated on five separate occasions in the past for failing to notify authorities of a change of address.
On July 10, police checked on Molyneaux’s whereabouts at the last known address they had for him – a first-floor apartment at 208 First Ave. He wasn’t there, another tenant said he had moved, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
When they caught up with Molyneaux on Saturday, police said he told them the 2017 van he was driving belonged to his cousin, who was in New Jersey. Police said there were several backpacks filled with Molyneaux’s clothing in the vehicle, which was towed away.
Police said Molnyeaux appeared to be under the influence of narcotics when they arrested him.
“During my interaction with Molyneaux, I noticed that he continued to nod off,” Patrol Officer Michael S. Martinsen observed in a police report. “As a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE), I recognized this behavior to be consistent with a subject that was impaired by narcotics.”