Fight Leads to Water Rescue During Hurricane Aftereffects

A helicopter Coast Guard rescue on Monday morning was prompted by a fight between a boyfriend and a girlfriend, according to Narragansett police reports.

According to police, at about 1:57 a.m. on Monday they received a report of a man banging on a door on Newton Avenue. According to the homeowner, a 59-year-old Narragansett man, the man said that his girlfriend had jumped into the ocean after an argument with him.

Police said when they arrived, they identified the man as Robert Spelman, 29, of 23 Bell School House Road, Richmond. They said a woman, later identified as Alyse Pelletier, 24, of 411 Hog House Hill Road, Exeter, was screaming from the water.

According to police, two officers immediately responded to Pelletier. However, because the ocean was rough and large waves were breaking on to the rock, officers couldn’t enter the water to rescue her.

Narragansett firefighters arrived on the scene and were able to throw a rescue can toward Pelletier with a lifejacket on it. She was able to use this to stay afloat.

Narragansett Police notified area harbormasters, the Marine strike force and individual police departments of the incident, but no one had boats in the water because of the hurricane. The Coast Guard was notified, and Narragansett Police were told that a helicopter would be dispatched from Cape Cod, and a boat from Battleship Cove.

According to police, at about 3:29 a.m. the helicopter arrived and lowered a rescue swimmer into the water. The swimmer was able to successfully remove Pelletier from the ocean. She was transported by helicopter to Rhode Island Hospital.

Narragansett police then further investigated the incident. Based on an interview with Spelman, police said he appeared to be heavily intoxicated. Police said he had left blood on the homeowner’s door from knocking so hard, and Spelman’s feet and hands were cut and smeared with blood.

According to Spelman, earlier in the night he had picked up Pelletier from the Park and Ride at Route 2. He told police they had just got back together after being apart for two years.

Spelman told police that they went to dinner at Kabuki in South Kingstown, and that after, Pelletier wanted to go to the rocks on Newton Avenue.

Spelman told police that they sat down on the rocks, but then Pelletier jumped into the ocean. Spelman said he went into the water after her, but couldn’t reach her, and cut his hands and feet in the process.

However, according to the homeowner, Spelman told him that Pelletier had jumped into the water after an argument. The homeowner added that Spelman had knocked on his door so hard that he had broken it.

According to police, Spelman couldn’t find the keys to his car, and police advised him that it would be towed. Shortly before 4 a.m., police did an inventory of the car, and found a mason jar with marijuana, as well as a plastic zip-lock bag with marijuana in it.

Spelman told police that he had a medical marijuana card and caregiver’s card, which police did find in his center console. The marijuana was seized, along with Pelletier’s purse. An inventory of her purse revealed with pills, believed to be Adderall, in a Hello Kitty tin container. It was unknown whether Pelletier had a prescription.

At about 4 a.m., police called the Rhode Island Department of Health to verify Spelman’s medical marijuana card. However, the department had not returned police’s call as of 6:30 a.m., and the marijuana was held in evidence.

According to police, at 6 a.m. they conducted a search of the rocks where Pelletier went into the water on Newton Avenue.

Police said there were bloodstains on the rock. Police also found Spelman’s shoes, a baseball hat, a hoodie and a glass pipe with marijuana residue. The pipe was placed into evidence, but the other items were returned to Spelman.

The information for this article was compiled from Narragansett police reports, which are available for review by any member of the public at their headquarters on Caswell Street.

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