Opinion ID: 2823194
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Testimony of Officer Raymond Reall

Text: Officer Raymond Reall of the North Providence Police Department also testified for the state. He stated that, on the night of defendant’s arrest, he heard a BOLO concerning a stolen vehicle taken at gunpoint; he added that this information brought him to the Charles Street area in North Providence, where he was joined by Trooper Alboum. Officer Reall further testified that the stolen vehicle was recovered in a Walgreens parking lot and that he was “dispatched” to that location. It was Officer Reall’s testimony that, once there, he and Trooper Alboum made “sure there was nobody inside of [the vehicle].” He testified that, as he waited with Trooper Alboum for the arrival of Providence law enforcement, he observed “[q]uite a few” more police officers come to the scene. He stated that “every single car that    stop[ped] at the red light [on Charles Street] looked over to see what was going on due to the fact [that] there [were] several police cars and people running around over there.” He further testified, however, that he noticed one car whose occupants did the opposite; specifically, he testified as follows: “There was a vehicle that was stopped at the red light on Charles Street; and I noticed that there was a person sitting in the passenger seat front [of the vehicle] with a white T-shirt, and there was also a[] Hispanic male in the back with a white T-shirt; and that was the description given from the BOLO from Providence.    [T]hey would not look over at the parking lot where the police were.” Officer Reall next testified that, after making that observation, he entered his police cruiser and attempted to catch up to the just-referenced vehicle so that he could stop and question its - 10 - occupants. His testimony mirrored that of Trooper Alboum as he recounted the details of his pursuit of the Nissan Maxima and his eventual success at pulling the Nissan Maxima over into the breakdown lane of Route 146. Officer Reall stated that, once the Nissan Maxima was on Route 146, it continued to travel “at a high rate of speed;” he added that he “went into the left lane    passed Trooper Alboum’s car, passed the [Nissan] Maxima, and got in front of the [Nissan] Maxima and slowed it down   .” He said that his cruiser and the Nissan Maxima “veered off into the breakdown lane,” eventually coming to a stop. Officer Reall testified that he and Trooper Alboum exited their cruisers to approach the Nissan Maxima. It was Officer Reall’s testimony that he approached the Nissan Maxima on the passenger side and told the front-seat passenger and the other occupants of the car to “put their hands on the roof.” Officer Reall testified that he later learned that the name of the front-seat passenger was Osvaldo German. Officer Reall proceeded to testify that he took “the passenger [(Mr. German)] out” of the Nissan Maxima and searched him. He stated that, upon searching Mr. German, he discovered marijuana in Mr. German’s front pocket.15 Officer Reall then testified that, following that discovery, he “released [Mr. German] to the custody of the Rhode Island State Police    [because] [t]hey ha[d] jurisdiction.” Officer Reall stated at trial that, after releasing Mr. German to the custody of the State Police, he helped the State Police search the Nissan Maxima. He testified that he searched the front passenger area, but did not find anything; he added, however, that he became aware of a “strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle,” which odor he stated was that of “fresh” marijuana. Officer Reall further testified that, when the trunk of the 15 Subsequent testimony for the state by Paul Steven Iwuc, a forensic scientist with the Department of Health, indicated that the substance discovered in Officer Reall’s search of Mr. German was, in fact, marijuana. - 11 - Nissan Maxima was opened, the odor of marijuana “increased.” Officer Reall concluded his testimony on direct examination by stating that, although he was not present when the contents of the trunk were unloaded, he did observe marijuana inside the trunk as he assisted in the search of the Nissan Maxima.