City man faces charges after allegedly trying to stash drugs in cruiser

WOONSOCKET – While en route to police headquarters with a prisoner, Patrol Officer Stephen Burrell heard an unusual “stomping” noise coming from the rear compartment of his cruiser where a handcuffed passenger was seated.

What was it?

It was, according to police, the sound of Joseph Ramos – Burrell’s prisoner – desperately attempting to hide more than an ounce of crack cocaine in the officer’s cruiser.

Ramos, 18, of 336 Rathbun St., now faces a string of charges, including possession of an ounce to a kilo of a cocaine with the intent to deliver; possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver; reckless driving against public safety; possession of an illegal knife; driving on a suspended license; and obstructing police.

Ramos landed in police custody shortly after 6:30 p.m. on March 29 after another officer, Sgt. Andrew Girard, spotted a Nissan sedan with Maryland plates in Dunn Park and attempted to run a registration check on the vehicle. That’s when Ramos allegedly sought to outmaneuver Girard by winding his way through the congested Fairmount neighborhood doing nearly twice the speed limit, ignoring multiple stop signs and nearly striking pedestrians.

Ramos eventually stopped on Eighth Avenue and police searched the vehicle, seizing a satchel containing $680 in cash but no illegal drugs at that point. Ramos and a male passenger who was riding with him were both searched, but the only unlawful item police found in Ramos’ possession was a knife with a blade exceeding the legal limit of three inches.

Then came the curious noise.

“While en route to the station, I could hear (Ramos) stomping in the prisoner compartment of cruiser 305,” Burrell reported.

After Ramos was preliminarily booked on nondrug charges at headquarters, Burrell returned to his cruiser to see if he could figure out what all the commotion was about.

On the left side of the floorboard of the prisoner area, the officer reported, there was “a small hole” leading to the rest of the interior of the vehicle. Inside the hole, Burrell found a ripped-open, clear glassine bag containing what turned out to be 28.4 grams of crack cocaine, according to police reports.

Police have no idea how Ramos managed to stash the drugs in the cruiser, but they noticed that he had a small laceration on his arm and theorize he may have injured himself as he was attempting to conceal the cocaine.

Ramos was due to be arraigned in Sixth District Court on April 1 but details about his bail status were not immediately available.