Cranston Politician Bucci Tells East Greenwich Policeman “You’re a Dick” During Traffic Stop
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East Greenwich, RI - Maria Bucci, the chair of the Cranston Democrats and a former candidate for mayor, has been arrested and charged with driving drunk in East Greenwich.
Body-worn camera video released by police shows that Bucci was pulled over on Division Road just after midnight Thursday. According to the police report obtained by 12 News, Bucci was stopped after an officer saw her swerving on the road.
Her arrest was first reported by GoLocalProv.
The report says Bucci’s vehicle had “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” and she was slurring her words.
“You know who I am, right?” Bucci asked the officer in the bodycam footage.
“I don’t know who you are miss,” the officer replied.
During a field sobriety test, Bucci could be heard telling the officer “my nephew is law enforcement, my uncle’s law enforcement.”
Bucci then argued with the officer as he attempted to administer a second test, the footage shows. She also yelled at her cousin, who was a passenger in the vehicle, to call her husband, according to the police report.
“Call my husband right now,” Bucci said. “And call the attorney general and everybody else in town, ’cause this is disgusting. God forbid I was a Black person, I’d be arrested.”
Bucci was taken into custody after a few more minutes of her questioning the sobriety test.
“Give me the camera, you’re a [expletive],” Bucci said, referring to the officer’s body-worn camera while being handcuffed. “Like I am not drinking. You’re a loser.”
Court records show Bucci faces a misdemeanor DUI charge. She was released on $1,000 personal recognizance and is expected to be arraigned on Jan. 5.