2 family arrests prompt Rep. Fellela to criticize police
7:03 PM Fri, Nov 28, 2008 | Permalink
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By Mark Reynolds JOHNSTON -- State Rep. Deborah Fellela accused Johnston police officers of harassing her family today after her son was arrested and charged with driving under the influence -- at nearly 100 miles per hour -- and after her husband was charged with driving with a suspended license. Fellela's husband, Henry, was arrested soon after she dropped him off at a local garage this morning to retrieve a truck that had been towed in the aftermath of her son's arrest early Thursday morning, according to a police report. The representative's son, Matthew T. Fellela, 22, of Cranston, had ignored blinking lights behind him, sped along Hartford Avenue for about a half-mile, turned onto Route 6 east and accelerated to 95 miles per hour, the police said. After pulling over near the Killingly Street exit, he failed a roadside sobriety test and he refused to submit to a chemical test, the police said. This morning, the representative's husband, Henry A. Fellela, was pulled over on Route 6 and charged with driving with a suspended license, his third offense, the report says. "I review every arrest that the JPD makes and in this case the officers were in the proper performance of their duty," said Johnston police Chief Richard S. Tamburini. Fellela called the arrests "harassment," saying they tie into a pattern of mistreatment that also led to the arrest of her other son, Kyle, in September. This was after police accused him of assaulting his father during a struggle outside the family's house at 3 Diaz St., just hours after his mother's primary victory over Annette Berarducci. The charges were dismissed in District Court on Nov. 14, according to court records. A witness in the case had declined to come forward, according to Town Solicitor Christopher Colardo. "Here we go again," Fellela said, adding that she has commissioned a "third party" to investigate the alleged harassment and that her son, Matthew, was not too impaired to drive early Thursday morning. "It's an ongoing investigation," she said. "Stay tuned. That's all I can say." She declined to identify the police officers she accuses of targeting her family and she did not elaborate any further on the harassment itself. A few police officers with ties to a political opponent are responsible, Fellela said, declining to identify either the opponent or any of the officers by name. "I'm sorry she feels that way," Tamburini said. "If she'd like to come in and sit down with me and go over the reports I'd be happy to do that with her." 
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Just because someone is involved with state politics and a family member breaks a state law, it doesn't give them a free pass. Doesn't Ms. Fellela realize the legal limit for OUI is 0.08? It doesn't matter if he appeared impaired or not!
And as for husband driving with a suspended license, h the wife and the husband should have known better.
Rhode Island politics...here we go again!!!
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Wait, this is a joke right? With people like that in our state legislature it is no wonder that our state is in the toilet. Her husband drives with a suspended license and her son drives at 95 miles per hour and fails a roadside sobriety test and THEY are the ones being harassed? How about that her little brat could have killed someone and her husband, with three arrests, is an obvious scofflaw? If Johnston votes in idiots like that they deserve whatever they get. What a total embarrassment.
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I love when politicians say stupid things to the media. Her boy does 100 mph and gets arrested, her husband is driving with a suspended sentence, and the other kid fights on the front lawn, and it appears she thinks it's the fault of the police. Is she stupid or maybe just insane? Either way, she is an embarrassment to her constituents.
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Congratulations RI on another fine public servant you voted in.
When are leaders going to put the public ahead of themselves?
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this rep should be thanking the cops for trying to her her family.just another arrogant politician
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Perhaps someone should inform Rep. Fellela that the law applies to her family members just like it applies to the rest of us.
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1. Ignoring the flashing lights of a police car.
2. Clocked Driving 95 MPH
3. Refusing a chemical test
4. Third time driving with suspended license
5. Registration expired.
These all sound like harassment to me????
No wonder this state is in the condition it is in if this is the mind set of this Legislator.
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One more example of politicians with relatives breaking laws trying to go above the law. Obviously it is not harrassment if her son was drving at 100 mph and suspected of drunk driving. How would she feel if someone from Johnston or from anywhere else was killed by her son? Isn't her job to make laws for all Rhode Island citizens to uphold??? Including a suspended license charge against her husband? The problem with this state is way too much political corruption & ethical violations. What is next a politician's son committing a violent crime like murder and it will be called harrassment?
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Seems like this family could be part of the reason RI is one of the 3 WORST states when it comes to doing something about the drunk driver problem. Half of the deaths on RI roads are caused by drunk drivers. Voters who keep Fella in office must be fools.
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ha ha I hold an office my family can do no wrong we innocent
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If her son was not to impaired to drive, then why did he refuse to submit to a chemical test? Refusing the test all but admits guilt. And I am sure that the third arrest for driving on a suspended license is just a made up charge. Please tell Deborah Fellela that it is not police harassment if your family is breaking the law.
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74 percent of the voters voted in favor of Mrs. Fellela, that tells me people feel strongly she the right candidate for the job. Her sons are old enough to know right from wrong as well as her husband. As a former teacher in Johnston the three boys were nothing short of outstanding young men with kind hearts. They made my time there tolerable and brought a smile to my face. It is unfortunate what has occured over the past year or so but lets face it people make mistakes. Shouldn't we all be entitled to mess up and not be judge on one single action we regret. I have full confidence that these incidents will not affect our reps. decisions as a lawmaker. Before we all make judgments on the Fellelas think about your family and some of the mistakes you might regret.
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