Judge Frank Caprio spares driving-record penalty in brief Providence parking case, orders $35 court costs

Judge Frank Caprio in the Municipal Court of Providence dismissed a driving-record penalty and ordered the participant to pay $35 in court costs after hearing a brief explanation about a parking citation.

The participant told the court they had pulled over for about 30 seconds on Dorrance Street while someone in the car used an ATM and that an officer was already writing a ticket when they returned. According to the participant, the officer said, "I was going to give you a $15 ticket, but now I'm going to give you an $85 ticket that's going to go on your driving record." The participant said they told the officer the car could be moved.

When the court asked whether the participant had used abusive language toward the officer, the participant denied doing so. The participant then said, "This is why people don't like cops." Laughter followed in the courtroom; Judge Frank Caprio called the comment "a very intemperate remark."

Judge Caprio told the participant, "I'm not going to give you a driving record for parking," and dismissed the driving-record portion of the matter. He assessed $35 in court costs, explaining that the participant was effectively paying an extra $5 compared with what the ticket likely would have been and that their driving record would be preserved.

The participant thanked the court. A closing narration identified the courtroom as that of Judge Frank Caprio and concluded the short proceeding.

The case was resolved in court with the $35 assessment and no driving-record penalty recorded.