State Police arrest two wanted fugitives after fleeing from crash in stolen vehicle on Route 95

Two wanted fugitives have been apprehended by police after a crash in a reported stolen vehicle on Route 95.

According to Rhode Island State Police, on Friday, at approximately 11:00 a.m., Troopers out of the Hope Valley Barracks responded to a one-car motor vehicle crash on Route 95 South, just north of the Connecticut State line in the Town of Hopkinton. Troopers learned that the vehicle involved in the crash was recently reported stolen out of New Hampshire.

The investigation also revealed that following the crash, the two occupants, a male and a female, fled the scene on foot. Prior to fleeing, the male attempted to carjack a vehicle that had stopped to render aid and he assaulted both occupants of the vehicle. A description of both individuals was obtained, and members of the Rhode Island State Police, Hopkinton Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and North Stonington Police joined in the search for the two suspects. The Rhode Island State Police K9 and Drone Unit also responded.

A Rhode Island State Police K9 tracked the suspects to a residence on Extension 184 in Ashaway which had an exterior basement door. Both suspects were located in a crawl space in the back of the basement, and they were taken into custody without further incident.

The male suspect, identified as 32-year-old Kelvin B. Lewis, of Fruitland Park, Florida, was charged with Fugitive From Justice out of the State of New Hampshire – 1st Degree Felony Assault, Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle, Two counts of Simple Assault, Assault with Intent to Commit Specified Felonies, Attempted Robbery (Car Jacking), Breaking and Entering of a Dwelling When Resident on Premises, and Obstruction of Officer in Execution of Duty. The 1st Degree Felony Assault out of New Hampshire stemmed from an incident where Lewis allegedly stabbed a woman in the neck.

The female suspect, identified as23-year-old Melanie A. Diperna, of Northfield, New Hampshire, was charged with Fugitive From Justice out of the State of New Hampshire for a Hillsborough Superior Court Warrant for Failure to Appear for Possession of Fentanyl, Possession of Buprenorphine, Dealing in or Possessing Prescription Drugs, and Receiving Stolen Property, Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle, Breaking and Entering of a Dwelling When Resident on Premises, and Obstruction of Officer in Execution of Duty.

Both suspects were arraigned by a Justice of the Peace at the Hope Valley Barracks, and they were held at the Adult Correctional Institution in Cranston pending a future court date.