A man in Smithfield, Rhode Island, was arrested twice in one day on separate drunk driving charges, only hours apart, according to police.
Smithfield police say Thomas Garbecki, 46, of Greenville, RI, was involved in two DUI incidents on Wednesday -- first on Putnam Pike around 3:46 p.m. and then on Steere Road around 6:54 p.m.
According to police, officers responded to 615 Putnam Pike for a crash involving non-life threatening injuries and found a woman who said her vehicle had been struck. She got into a small verbal exchange with the driver, who then fled the area without providing his information. The man was later identified as Garbecki.
Police say they found Garbecki at his home, where his vehicle was in his driveway. He was taken into custody and charged with DUI, refusal to submit to a chemical test, duty to stop/accident resulting in personal injury, and driving with a suspended license.
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Garbecki was given a summons to appear in court on Oct. 17 and a family member picked him up at 5:38 p.m., police said.
A little over an hour after Garbecki was released from police custody, officers responded to 20 Steere Road for a report of a vehicle driving erratically and striking a parked car in the roadway. A front registration plate that was left at the scene helped police identify Garbecki as the driver, police said.
Police again conducted standardized field sobriety testing and Garbecki was taken into custody and charged with DUI, refusal to submit to a chemical test, and driving with a suspended license. He was also issued several citations, including leaving the scene of an accident and collision with an unattended vehicle.
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He was arraigned before a bail commissioner, released on $2,000 personal recognizance and then taken to Fatima Hospital for alcohol detox, police said. Attorney information was not immediately available Thursday night.
