Providence Police officer indicted for obstruction of justice

An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Providence Police Colonel Oscar L. Perez, Jr. announced that a Providence Police officer has been charged in Providence County Superior Court with multiple counts of obstruction of justice.

 

On September 19, 2024, before Superior Court Magistrate Gina Lopes, Providence Police officer Alexander Caraballo (30) was arraigned on two counts of obstruction of fellow Providence Police officers in the execution of duty, two counts of obstruction of justice of the Sixth Division District Court, and one count of obstruction of justice of the Providence County Superior Court. The defendant pled not guilty.

 

On September 18, 2024, the Statewide Grand Jury returned a secret indictment charging the defendant and today the defendant voluntarily appeared in Providence County Superior Court for arraignment, where the Court unsealed the secret indictment.

 

As alleged in court documents, the defendant used his status as a police officer to help a friend with known gang affiliations avoid legal trouble. In doing so, the defendant attempted to interfere with a victim’s pursuit of justice against his friend, and obstructed fellow officers from bringing his friend into custody.

 

“When someone commits a crime, whether they are a member of the public or an officer of the law, they must be held accountable,” said Attorney General Neronha. “I want to thank the Internal Affairs Division of the Providence Police Department for their investigative work here, and the Providence Police generally for their commitment to keeping our communities safe.”

 

The Court released the defendant on $20,000 surety bail and he is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on October 28, 2024 in Providence County Superior Court.

Federal agents deployed tear gas against protesters this afternoon in Minneapolis. The protest is in front of an ICE facility in the city, and the crowd remains, although the standoff with ICE officers is over for now. Officers were lined up, blocking the front entrance to the facility.        President Trump is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota as protests over ICE operations continue in the state. In a Truth Social post this morning, Trump said he will take action "if the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don't obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of ICE." A president hasn't invoked the Insurrection Act since President George H.W. Bush in 1992 when the Rodney King riots broke out in Los Angeles.        The White House says a number of new economic reports prove President Trump is tackling affordability in the U.S. Today, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt touted the Core Price Index showing inflation in check, lower gas prices, and expected bigger tax returns. Leavitt said Trump is also addressing soaring home prices with the purchase of mortgage bonds.        Last week's unemployment numbers are better than expected. The Labor Department reported Thursday that just 198-thousand Americans filed initial claims for unemployment benefits for the week ending January 10th. That's a drop of nine-thousand from the previous week.        Verizon customers will receive a 20-dollar credit after Wednesday's nearly day-long outage. In a statement posted on social media Thursday, Verizon said it did not meet the standard of excellence customers expect. Wednesday's outage caused issues with voice and data services for customers from about noon Eastern until well into the night.        Muhammad Ali's legacy is forever stamped. The U.S. Postal Service today released a commemorative forever stamp honoring the three-time heavyweight boxing champion. A ceremony was held in Ali's hometown of Louisville. It was attended by Ali's widow, Lonnie, as well as sportscaster Bob Costas and other dignitaries.