Nine years after a crash on Putnam Pike killed a longtime Harrisville volunteer firefighter, the Connecticut man accused of causing it has entered a plea — but he won't be sentenced for at least another two years. Samuel Smith of Thompson, Connecticut, pleaded no contest to driving so as to endanger resulting in death, and a judge ordered him to serve two years of home confinement before formal sentencing takes place.
Smith's plea, confirmed Wednesday, closes a long-running legal chapter tied to the death of Lawrence Castonguay, a 44-year veteran of the Harrisville Fire Department who was 73 when he was killed in the August 2017 crash, according to WJAR. Per the station's report on the plea, Smith will be formally sentenced only after completing the full two years of home confinement, meaning the final punishment for Castonguay's death remains undetermined for now.
How the Crash Unfolded in 2017
Police said Smith pulled out of Cady's Tavern “spinning his tires” and briefly turned west on Putnam Pike before losing control, crossing the center line and striking the Castonguays' Chevrolet Colorado, according to the Providence Journal. The crash killed Lawrence Castonguay and left his wife, Marie, who was driving at the time, with serious injuries. The Journal reported that Marie Castonguay, 71, remained hospitalized at Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries in the days following the crash.
Glocester police arrested Smith at the scene, and he was later released on $10,000 bond, the Providence Journal's coverage of his subsequent indictment noted. That indictment, handed up roughly five months after the crash, charged Smith with driving to endanger resulting in death and driving to endanger resulting in injury — the same underlying conduct at the center of this year's plea.
A Nine-Year Wait for Resolution
The delay between the 2017 crash and this week's plea reflects just how long the case has moved through the courts, with Castonguay's family waiting years for any legal resolution. The charge Smith pleaded no contest to, driving so as to endanger resulting in death, is defined under Rhode Island law in Chapter 31-27 of the state's motor vehicle offenses statute.
Home confinement, the arrangement a judge has now ordered for Smith ahead of sentencing, is run through Rhode Island's community corrections system. The state's Department of Corrections describes its Community Confinement program as a community-based sentencing option for people who pose a manageable risk and require structured supervision, with participants electronically monitored to ensure they comply with pre-approved daily schedules, according to the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.
What Smith's ultimate sentence will look like once he completes his two years of confinement has not been disclosed. For now, the case stands adjourned until that period concludes, closing out one phase of a prosecution that began with a fatal crash on a Burrillville-area road nearly a decade ago.
