Crime & Safety
Woman Drives Drunk With Son in Car
Barrington police arrest Providence woman on numerous charges, including a DUI, simple assault, and resisting arrest in front of her son, 12.
A Barrington police officer felt the alcohol-fueled wrath of a Providence woman, 38, early Sunday morning, Jan. 6, who was driving drunk with her son, 12, in the back seat of her BMW.
The woman, Vanda H. Darosa, of 2 Glasgow St., allegedly kicked Patrol Officer Walter Larson as least three times in the shoulder, stomach and chest when he tried to handcuff her and get her in the back seat of his patrol car.
She was pulled over around 2 am on County Road near the RIPTA park and ride lot after being observed on Wampanoag Trail driving 63 mph in a 45 mph zone and swerving over the center and fog lines.
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Barrington Police Chief John LaCross said the woman now faces charges of drunk driving, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, simple assault or battery, possession of marijuana, and driving in possession of alcohol and a controlled substance.
LaCross said the woman apparently "lost it" while being arrested in front of her son and then later in the police station, where she reportedly took off her shirt and tried to choke herself with it.
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The woman’s bra also slipped off at some point, according to the police report. Barrington police called the Bristol police for a female officer to respond to help deal with the woman, who also apparently stuck her head in the toilet bowl at some point, according to LaCross.
The woman first failed a field sobriety test, and her blood alcohol level registered .18 after taking a Breathalyzer test – more than twice the legal limit. She told police that she was taking her son home.
The father of the boy responded to the police station to pick up the child. Their address was not identified.
The woman also reportedly used profanity and kicked at the windows of the patrol car while being arrested, LaCross said.
Darosa was arraigned in the police station by a justice of the peace at around 10 am after she settled down after being kept overnight in a jail cell. She was released into the custody of her father about 10:30 am with a date to appear in District Court.
Barrington patrol officers Joshua Melo, Marc Pimental and Mark Haddigan also assisted in the arrest, according to the police report.
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