Post by KC on Aug 11, 2006 21:07:32 GMT -5
August 11, 2006 - NORTH PROVIDENCE -- The trial of police Sgt. Michael Ciresi, an 18-year veteran of the force who faces charges of receiving stolen goods and obstructing justice, is tentatively set for Nov. 6.
Superior Court Judge Mark A. Pfeiffer announced the date yesterday during a conference that was described by a spokesman for the attorney general as the "first significant" meeting between prosecutors and Ciresi's lawyers since Ciresi was indicted on six counts in March.
Officer Ciresi, 38, a son of former town solicitor Robert Ciresi, had been known for a number of attention-getting arrests but became the focus of an investigation after an armed robbery at an apartment on East Avenue in Pawtucket on Dec. 23, 2004. The suspect in the robbery, Mark W. Pine, had Ciresi's .32 caliber pistol and told the police that Ciresi put him up to the crime.
Ciresi was suspended within days of that robbery, and last September, 10 months after the robbery, Ciresi was suspended without pay and arrested on charges of receiving stolen goods and obstructing justice.
Ciresi is accused of three counts of receiving stolen goods valued at more than $500: a Coleman generator that was allegedly stolen from a Cranston man and delivered to Ciresi's home by a man who was later arrested by Ciresi on a charge of stealing a 150-pound ATM machine from a gas station; a gold and diamond bracelet; and two watches.
He is also accused of one count of attempted larceny, one count of harboring a criminal and one count of obstructing a police officer.
The larceny count relates to the ATM machine. In interviews in December 2004, Ciresi accused Dennis Bautista, 38, of ramming a plate glass window at the Mobil station at 1155 Smith St. to gain access to the ATM machine, which he said Bautista hoisted into a van. Ciresi said he had been warned by an informant before the theft, and that he found Bautista trying to open the ATM in his basement.
However, the indictment accuses Ciresi of trying to steal money from the machine.
The charge of harboring a criminal is linked to accusations that Ciresi helped Darryl Streeper avoid arrest on a charge of operating a car with a suspended license in 2004. Ciresi is also accused of obstruction of justice.
Ciresi continues to receive medical benefits and can be reimbursed for back pay if he is cleared of the charges.
www.projo.com/metro/content/projo_20060811_ciresi11.1e6f20f.html
Superior Court Judge Mark A. Pfeiffer announced the date yesterday during a conference that was described by a spokesman for the attorney general as the "first significant" meeting between prosecutors and Ciresi's lawyers since Ciresi was indicted on six counts in March.
Officer Ciresi, 38, a son of former town solicitor Robert Ciresi, had been known for a number of attention-getting arrests but became the focus of an investigation after an armed robbery at an apartment on East Avenue in Pawtucket on Dec. 23, 2004. The suspect in the robbery, Mark W. Pine, had Ciresi's .32 caliber pistol and told the police that Ciresi put him up to the crime.
Ciresi was suspended within days of that robbery, and last September, 10 months after the robbery, Ciresi was suspended without pay and arrested on charges of receiving stolen goods and obstructing justice.
Ciresi is accused of three counts of receiving stolen goods valued at more than $500: a Coleman generator that was allegedly stolen from a Cranston man and delivered to Ciresi's home by a man who was later arrested by Ciresi on a charge of stealing a 150-pound ATM machine from a gas station; a gold and diamond bracelet; and two watches.
He is also accused of one count of attempted larceny, one count of harboring a criminal and one count of obstructing a police officer.
The larceny count relates to the ATM machine. In interviews in December 2004, Ciresi accused Dennis Bautista, 38, of ramming a plate glass window at the Mobil station at 1155 Smith St. to gain access to the ATM machine, which he said Bautista hoisted into a van. Ciresi said he had been warned by an informant before the theft, and that he found Bautista trying to open the ATM in his basement.
However, the indictment accuses Ciresi of trying to steal money from the machine.
The charge of harboring a criminal is linked to accusations that Ciresi helped Darryl Streeper avoid arrest on a charge of operating a car with a suspended license in 2004. Ciresi is also accused of obstruction of justice.
Ciresi continues to receive medical benefits and can be reimbursed for back pay if he is cleared of the charges.
www.projo.com/metro/content/projo_20060811_ciresi11.1e6f20f.html