NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (WPRI) — After dramatic body-worn camera footage showed the moments when Narragansett police attempted to break up a party in the Bonnet Shores neighborhood on Sept. 6, court records recount what police said they witnessed that night.
The incident on Leonard Bodwell Road led to one officer getting hurt, two URI students being charged with misdemeanors, and one of those students losing consciousness after an altercation with officers.
The documents show that police claimed they knocked 21-year-old Cody Calkins to the ground because he tried to grab an officer's gun.
However, the R.I. Attorney General's Office told Target 12 the felony charge associated with that was dropped at the request of Narragansett police, due to insufficient evidence.
In his police report, Sgt. Christopher Riley said it all stated when he asked for the ID of a "young-looking female clenching onto a can" that appeared to be alcohol.
Riley said that's when 20-year-old Jake Dignam told police to stop talking to her and shoved the officer.
According to the report, Riley said he was pushed to the ground twice, causing cuts to his knees and elbow.
Patrolman Kenneth Court wrote in his report that he saw Calkins pull Riley to the ground. Court said he then grabbed Calkins and tried to arrest him, but "Calkins resisted and [they] fell to the street."
Court said Calkins then "grabbed hold of the grip of [his] holstered department issued pistol."
According to Court's narrative, he swung his flashlight multiple times at Calkins' hand and told Calkins to "let go of [his] gun or [he] would strike him in the head."
Court wrote he then hit Calkins in the torso, causing the student to fall to the ground, unresponsive.
Police called for a rescue and Calkins was taken to South County Hospital.
On Tuesday, Calkins pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges, including assault. He was released on personal recognizance.
"Mr. Calkins is an excellent student who greatly enjoys his enrollment at the University of Rhode Island. We are going to let the judicial process run its course,” his attorney, Brendan Horan, said in a statement to 12 News.
Dignam is scheduled to be arraigned on misdemeanor charges on Sept. 24.
Kate Wilkinson (kwilkinson@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.