Crime & Safety

Pawtucket Man Allegedly Threatens Woman With Toy Gun

Douglas Bessette, 42, of Pawtucket, allegedly used an airsoft gun to intimidate an East Providence woman.

Seekonk police arrested a Pawtucket man for allegedly threatening to kill an East Providence woman with an airsoft gun in her Shangri-La motel room.

According to the report, at approximately 6:21 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, officers Shaun Kelley and Arthur Beaudoin were dispatched to the Fall River Avenue motel after receiving a report of an attempted assault.

According to the woman's account, a pair named "Sherry" and "Doug" who lived in another section of the motel aquired her house keys; a fight ensued after the two refused to give them back. The woman refrained from telling the police why she originally lost possession of her keys.

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Then, according to the report, Douglas Bessette, 42, of Pawtucket, R.I., went to the woman's room and threatened to shoot and kill her with an item that appeared to be a hand gun held in a holster. A Newport man who later served as a witness was leaving the room's bathroom as the situation unfolded. Sherry then got into a tan Sedan with no license plates and sped off, according to the woman's account.

The officers then rushed to Bassette's room and found him animated and worked up. When officers asked him if he possessed a firearm, Bessette allegedly told the officers no, but got nervous and jumpy while the officers searched the room. To ensure the officers' safety, police put double handcuffs on Bessette, sat him on the bed and assured him he was not arrested.

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Officers then found a black plastic bag in the trash; refuse was placed on top in an attempt to cover it, according to the report. In the bag was an airsoft gun with its orange tip painted black and a homemade double-edged knife. They also found drug paraphrenalia in his possession.

Bessette was charged with disorderly conduct, assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of carrying a dangerous weapon and threatening to commit a crime.

The Pawtucket resident was arraigned on Friday, June 10, and released on $2,500 cash and $2,500 with surety. He is scheduled for a June 28 pre-trial conference.


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