Woman charged with not helping victim of fatal car crash
WOONSOCKET – A two-vehicle crash in which a Pawtucket man was killed and a woman seriously injured last month has already resulted in the arrest of a man on felony alcohol-related charges, but now police have arrested a woman who was riding with him for doing nothing to help the victims.
Kimberly M. Thistle, 34, of 551 Bernon St., was arrested on April 24 for failing to render assistance at a motor vehicle accident. She was seized on a warrant when she came to police headquarters to retrieve some belongings from the pickup truck her boyfriend, Samuel L. Adams, 45, also of 551 Bernon St., was driving at the time of the crash.
Charles Bagley, 71, of Pawtucket, was killed in the crash, and a 64-yearold woman who was driving the car Bagley was riding in was seriously injured. The accident took place on March 30 at the intersection of Maple and Bernon streets.
At the scene, Adams told police a passenger – his girlfriend, Thistle – had been riding with him at the time of the crash, but she was no longer at the scene when investigators arrived. Adams gave police his address and officers went there to look for Thistle, but there was no answer when they knocked on the door. A check of dispatch records also confirmed that reports of the accident did not originate from her phone.
Under state law, police say Thistle’s behavior is a crime. Anyone who fails to make a reasonable attempt
For now, these kids and their schoolmates are attending “The Annex,” across the city on Central Avenue, and apparently, some young students aren’t thrilled by it.
“I can’t wait to be a fifth-grader in a new building,” Lucas Martins told the audience while straining to reach the microphone at the podium. “I’m so excited to be in a bigger school with all the Baldwin students. I can’t wait for new furniture and a different living area. I really can’t wait for new playgrounds. Have you seen the playground at the Annex?”
That drew a massive amount of laughter, especially from Mayor Donald Grebien, Superintendent Patricia Royal, State Sen.
Cano and RIDE Commissioner Anjelica Infante-Green, before Lucas finished off with, “I’m so happy to be here, and I can’t wait to see our new school finished.”
That happened to be the sentiment of everyone in attendance, including Secretary of State Gregg Amore; Assistant Superintendent Lisa Benedetti-Ramzi; School Committee
members Joanne Bonollo and Jim Chellel; Pawtucket Teachers Alliance President Ron Beaupre; and numerous officials with Colliers Project Leaders, Shawmut Design & Construction and Jonathan Levi & Associates and Louis Torrado Architects.
As workers hoisted the “ceremonious” final girder – one that had been autographed by the officials, projects folks and anyone else who cared to – high into the air, Helma Pereira stood peering and replied, “This is so awesome! That beam has all of our names on it, and they will be there forever. I don’t want to wait for this to be finished; I want to go to school here right now.
“But I also know if you wait, it’s going to look just like the workers want it to, not like this.”
Added Oliver Menyangar, a fellow third-grader: “I think this school is going to be amazing, and I hope that beam will be here for 1,000 years. I want other people to see them and our names to be known to them. That would be fun.”
Apparently, Carson O’Sullivan felt like Lucas during his speech.
“I can’t wait to be on the playground,” he said. “It’ll be so fun. We don’t have a playground now; it’s just cement.”
Benedetti-Ramzi, the emcee, opened the program thanking all of the driving forces behind the construction of such a 21st-Century building, then introduced student Mylaney Barros to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
She then gave way to Infante-Green, who captivated the children from the outset, asking them questions and the like.
“Who’s excited about this building going up?” she asked, while virtually the entire crew screamed, “Meeeeee!
“I want you to know that everyone has been working really hard to make sure you have the best school building in the state,” she said. “You’re going to have a building with a ‘Maker Space.’ That’s where you can draw or build things; it’s a building that’s going to have an activities room and a stage, so you’ll have the ability to bring all of your talents to bear.
“It’s going to be nothing like you had or have,” she added. “What you’re standing in front of you allows you to watch the magic happen, but in order for the magic to take place, it takes a whole lot of people to get that done.”
She then explained what the architects did, the construction workers, her team at RIDE, the School Committee, the mayor.
“I can’t wait to walk the halls of this building,” she said.
Grebien told the kids he could tell by their faces they knew how important this event and this school is to them.
“This is what we’re doing this for – for you, our children,” he said. “This has a deeper meaning beyond what we’re doing here with the steel topping-off ceremony. There has been a lot of talk by a lot of folks over the past few months whether Pawtucket was committed to and had the capacity to do this job. The answer is, yes, we do.
“No matter what false stories there are out there, we are committed to your future, your dedication, and that’s with all the help from the superintendent, the School Committee, the council and RIDE and her team. As we move forward and build the stateof-the-art high school, Pawtucket has been fortunate because of the support and leadership from the teachers and the administrators.
“Because of their commitment, we have been able to get ahead and invest in our schools. We have a long way to go, but we have to continue to invest in the schools.”
Cano explained to the students that, over the years, Baldwin had served generations of students, but that the structure was getting old and needed to be fixed. And that when the fixes weren’t helping, the city and state had to join forces to finally make a new commitment to build a new elementary school for new students, to help them thrive.
“In 2018, as a state, we made a commitment to repair or replace our ailing school buildings, and we made a commitment to make sure they all were not only warm but safe and dry to bring classrooms into the 21st Century to help you learn,” she said. “In the Senate, we have embraced this commitment. The new Baldwin elementary will be a shining example of what is possible across our city in years to come.”
Baldwin Principal Robin Sweezy told all that a top-notch education is one of the best gifts any community can give its children, and that she believes her school is traveling the right road to greatness.
“I’m pleased to say we went up a star on the RIDE report card,” she said. “With the support of district leadership, and this new building we’re getting, Baldwin will be a school where all students want to come to learn, where all teachers want to come to teach and where all parents will want to send their children. I love Baldwin and I’m so happy to be here.”
According to Bonollo, she chose to become a School Committee member because she wanted students to have the same education that her children had in the same type of facilities. When she saw the Pawtucket schools falling behind structurally, she wanted to do something about it.
“You’re going to have the most beautiful school in the state, and do you know why? Because you deserve it,” she told the youngsters. “This isn’t because of me, it’s because you deserve a quality education in a quality building that will serve your needs and give you a 21st-Century education so you can become a commissioner of education or owner of a construction company.
“You can be anything you want to be, and we have worked very hard to make sure you can start that journey.”