WARWICK – On Feb. 24, Warwick Police arrested and charged James Pinel, 58, of West Warwick, vice president of adult and child and family services at The Providence Center, with failing to stop after striking a pedestrian with his car Feb. 21.
“We are aware of the situation, and we cannot, of course, comment on any personnel matter,” said Owen Heleen, chief strategy officer for The Providence Center.
Warwick Police allege that at 8:55 p.m. Feb. 21 while driving past Walmart at 840 Post Road, Pinel struck a pedestrian, Eduardo Amaral, 31, of Warwick, seriously injuring him and driving away without stopping.
Police used a description of the car, a gray late model Acura RLX sedan with reported damage to the side-view mirror and front end, along with tips from the community received via their Facebook page to search for the suspect. Warwick Police announced they had identified Pinel as the driver and arrested him Feb. 24.
Warwick Police Sgt. John Kelly said Amaral, initially listed in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital, had recovered somewhat by March 2, allowing him to be moved to the hospital’s MCU unit, which treats patients in serious but less than critical conditions.
Police charged Pinel with one count of duty to stop, accident resulting in personal injury/death. He was arraigned in a special session of District Court and released on $2,000 bail with surety. His next court date will be March 6 in 3rd District Court.
Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.
