Man faces drugged driving charges after police found him slumped in his car
WOONSOCKET — A North Scituate man is facing drugged driving charges after police found him slumped behind the wheel of his parked car, unresponsive, with the engine revving.
James R. Cartwright, 28, of 28 Brook Hill Road, is also charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance. Police said they found small amounts of cocaine and fentanyl in his wallet, including a rock-like blend of the two that they initially thought was crack cocaine, after they woke him up.
Police found Cartwright parked on Unity Street at about 12:40 a.m. Wednesday while conducting a wellbeing check. Officers responded after dispatch received a call that someone was asleep in a parked vehicle with the engine revving for about 15 minutes.
Officer Alec Allaire reported that he rapped firmly on the window of Cartwright’s vehicle and announced himself as a policeman after arriving, but there was no response from the operator of the gray Accord. A window was slightly ajar, so Allaire reached in to unlock the vehicle, at which point Cartwright came to. The officer described Cartwright as “confused and disoriented,” with the pupils of his eyes “pinpoint small.” There was also a glass pipe and a cigarette lighter tucked between Cartwright’s legs as he sat in the driver’s seat.
Although Cartwright admitted to having used narcotics earlier, the police said he denied drinking, stating he was just catching up on some
sleep when the officers found him.
The officers, including Patrolman Andrew Griffith, led Cartwright through a standard battery of sobriety tests, including a portable breath test designed to detect alcohol in the body. The results showed there was zero alcohol in Cartwright’s system, police reports say.
Ultimately, Cartwright was taken to police headquarters to be examined by Officer Nicholas Maglio, a certified drug recognition expert, or DRE. Such officers are trained to evaluate whether an individual is under the influence of narcotics based on an assortment of visual clues.
The drugs police allegedly found in Cartwright’s possession are emblematic of a trend the Rhode Island Department of Health blames for helping drive up overdose deaths to record territory in 2020. Health officials say drugs like cocaine are increasingly showing up blended with fentanyl, a powerful, synthetic opioid, contributing to an overall increase in the toxicity of contraband drugs.
In addition to the narcotics offenses, Cartwright is charged with third-offense driving on a suspended license.
Following an appearance in Sixth District Court, he is free on $2,000 surety bail pending a hearing on June 9, according to the judiciary’s website.