Judge dismisses parking-ticket case after defendant says she bought food for young chicks

A judge at the Municipal Court of Providence dismissed or granted leniency in a parking-ticket case after hearing that the defendant had left briefly to buy food for very young chicks kept for her grandchildren.

The clerk identified the defendant as 'miss Dela Rosa' and said she had a parking ticket for an expired meter on Spruce Street. According to courtroom discussion, the woman waited to return to her car after buying feed and found a $25 ticket already on the vehicle. Speaker 2 told the court the birds were "little chicks, like 2 weeks old" kept in the backyard and that the food purchase was to feed them for the grandchildren.

In the ensuing exchange, court participants asked questions about where the chicks were purchased and whether they were pets. Speaker 3, noting the chicks appeared fragile, said he or she would not want to be responsible if the birds died and framed the case as a situation warranting compassion. Speaker 3 said, "I'm gonna give her a break" and later told the defendant, "I'm gonna dismiss the case," allowing the family to keep the birds and excusing the defendant.

The defendant thanked the court and was excused. No statutes, ordinances, or formal votes were cited during the exchange; the disposition was a judge's ruling on the single parking-ticket matter.

The next item on the docket was unrelated public business and a separate appearance by a performer with the Providence drum troupe.