Warrant issued for 2-time DUI suspect

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - An arrest warrant has been issued for a Warwick man charged with DUI, after he was a no-show in court Tuesday morning.

Early Sunday morning on Route 10 in Cranston, state police charged 44-year-old Brian Fracassa of Warwick with driving under the influence after a single-vehicle crash.

A preliminary breath test showed his blood alcohol level was .222, almost three times the legal limit of impairment.

During the investigation, state police learned North Kingstown police had arrested Fracassa on a DUI charge exactly one week earlier.

North Kingstown police had stopped Fracassa on Post Road for several driving violations.

In a statement, state police said Fracassa’s second DUI arrest within one week “indicates a clear disregard for the safety of the motoring public.”

Meanwhile, in between the two arrests, state police kicked off a new campaign against driving drunk, with a message, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

“By this time last year, we lost 35 people to fatal accidents,” said Col. Steven O'Donnell of Rhode Island State Police.

In court Tuesday, a defense lawyer told the judge his client, Brian Fracassa, is now in rehab.

The judge replied “I applaud your client’s effort to clean himself up, but he can’t pick and choose which court dates to keep and which ones to skip.”

Soon after, the judge issued a warrant for Fracassa’s arrest.