The town of Westerly dismissed a criminal case against a beachfront property owner police said repeatedly spray-painted a shoreline right-of-way sign in Watch Hill.
On Aug. 29, police charged David M. Roth, 76, with four counts of vandalism. Police believe Roth was responsible for vandalizing a sign that needed to be replaced multiple times over the summer because of the damage to it.
The sign is at the town-designated Everett Avenue public right-of-way next to Roth’s $10.8 million property. According to a police report, Roth told police he was upset about the sign’s placement at the access path, which he does not believe is a legitimate public right-of-way to the beach. Roth is not a newcomer to beach access disputes and is currently challenging Rhode Island’s new shoreline access law in court.
Despite the evidence police say they gathered, Westerly’s prosecutor, Robert Craven, said he decided to dismiss the case after Roth agreed to pay the town $1,010.90 in restitution. Craven made the decision under a rule that gives prosecutors discretion to dismiss cases, called Rule 48(a). Craven said he has dismissed other vandalism cases since being hired as Westerly’s part-time prosecutor in 2022.
This story was reported by The Public's Radio. You can read the entire story here.
