A 36-year-old Rhode Island State Police trooper from East Greenwich is facing a DUI charge and a separate charge of refusing a chemical test after Jamestown police pulled him over late Thursday night driving a Cadillac SUV on North Main Road with two flat tires. Michael Bowen is due in Newport District Court on Friday, according to Jamestown police.
Bowen was driving at a slow rate of speed when he was stopped, and he told the responding officer he had hit something in the road while traveling to Newport, according to a Jamestown officer cited by WJAR. The same officer reported that the driver had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech, smelled of alcohol, and appeared confused. Jamestown police ultimately charged Bowen with suspicion of DUI and refusal to submit to a chemical test, and he faces additional counts in the Traffic Tribunal.
Bowen Facing Two Separate Legal Tracks
His case will now wind through two distinct judicial venues under Rhode Island procedure: the misdemeanor DUI charge is handled criminally in District Court, while the civil refusal charge goes before the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal in Cranston, according to the Calo Law firm. That distinction matters procedurally, since criminal DUI charges require proof beyond a reasonable doubt while civil refusal violations are decided under the lower clear-and-convincing-evidence standard, per the Marin & Murphy Law Firm.
Bowen's criminal arraignment is set for the Second Division District Court, part of the Florence K. Murray Judicial Complex in Newport, which holds jurisdiction over criminal misdemeanor cases from Jamestown and five surrounding municipalities, per DiLibero & Associates. A first-offense misdemeanor DUI under Rhode Island General Laws § 31-27-2 carries potential penalties of up to a year in jail, fines of $100 to $1,000, a license suspension of one month to three years, and 10 to 60 hours of community service, according to the John E. MacDonald Law firm. Specific penalties would vary based on blood alcohol concentration or degree of impairment.
What the Refusal Charge Could Mean Separately
Rhode Island's implied consent law, General Laws § 31-27-2.1, holds that any motorist operating a vehicle in the state automatically consents to chemical testing upon a lawful arrest for suspected impaired driving, according to the Craig Hein Law firm. A first-offense refusal under that statute is a civil infraction carrying its own penalties, separate from any criminal DUI outcome: a license suspension of six to 12 months, fines between $100 and $1,000, a $500 highway safety assessment, and 10 to 100 hours of community service, the firm notes. Those civil penalties apply independently of whatever happens with the criminal DUI case in District Court.
State Police Weigh Possible Discipline Under New Oversight Law
The Rhode Island State Police released a statement addressing potential disciplinary action, with Superintendent Darnell Weaver saying the department holds employees to high standards on and off duty and takes conduct concerns seriously. Weaver said the matter remains open and personnel-related, and that the agency will evaluate the facts and determine whether administrative action is warranted at the appropriate time, consistent with the Law Enforcement Officers' Due Process, Accountability and Transparency Act. Weaver was sworn in as the 15th Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and Director of the Department of Public Safety in April 2022, becoming the first person of color to command the agency, according to AP News.
That accountability law, known as LEODPATA, was enacted in June 2024 to replace the 1976 Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights, expanding disciplinary hearing panels from three to five members to increase oversight, according to the State of Rhode Island General Assembly.
Local Enforcement Context in Jamestown
The arrest occurred in Jamestown, where Chief James P. Campbell has led the local police department since September 2023, according to What's Up Newp.
