State v. Authelet

On September 3, 1974, at approximately 8:15 p.m. police Officer Peter F. Coutu was on a routine motor patrol in the city of Warwick when he received a radio message directing him to go to the intersection of Green River and West Shore Roads. The dispatcher’s directive marked the third time during that tour of duty that Officer Coutu had been ordered to investigate a disturbance at this location. The police had once again received a complaint about the conduct of a group of “boisterous, drinking, swearing” young men who had gathered near a milk store and who, once they saw the police…