Warwick School Committee member accused of DUI and assaulting the arresting officer
WARWICK – The smell of alcohol was detectable on the driver's breath, the officer says. Her eyes were glassy and bloodshot and she swayed from side to side on the side of the road.
She lost her balance, falling into a telephone pole's stabilizing cable, and she grew argumentative.
The woman, Karen Bachus, also repeatedly told Warwick Officer Keara M. Enos about her position on Warwick's School Committee, according to Enos' report on the Feb. 18 arrest.
The report says Bachus punched Enos during an exchange in a room at police headquarters.
On Thursday morning, Bachus appeared in District Court, Warwick, where she faces charges of driving under the influence and simple assault.
Standing at her side, Bachus' lawyer, Jason Knight, entered not-guilty pleas on her behalf.
During the brief proceeding before Judge Christopher K. Smith she answered some of the judge's simple questions. Smith released her on personal recognizance.
Through the hallways of the courthouse, Rob Cote, a frequent critic of many Warwick officials, tagged along, firing questions as Bachus and her lawyer made their departure.
The longtime School Committee member made no comments when questioned by a Journal reporter.
The 60-year-old recently posted an apology on Facebook, saying, in part, "I am extremely embarrassed by this incident. It does not reflect who I am or whom I strive to be every day."
Police have been called to Bachus' home previously
This isn't the first time in recent years that Bachus' personal issues have drawn attention.
In 2020, another member of the School Committee, Judith Cobden, took out a restraining order against Bachus, who was serving as the committee's chairwoman at the time.
Cobden's legal action followed some acrimony that had drawn police to a home that Bachus owns.
In one case, Cobden told police that her "landlord threw her items outside," according to a police record, which summed up the situation as an “ex-relationship that became toxic” and added that police had succeeded in restoring peace.
On Saturday, Feb. 18, at 9:51 p.m., Enos learned from Warwick police dispatchers that a white pickup was reportedly swerving and driving too fast over speed bumps near City Hall, says the officer's report.
Enos caught up with the 2001 Dodge Ram on West Shore Road and saw the truck driving too far to the side of the road, says the report.
Enos initiated a traffic stop, setting up an exchange that took place on West Shore near Oak Tree Avenue.
The report says Bachus failed to follow instructions and would not blow air into a device for a preliminary breath test.
In the backseat of a cruiser, it says, she slipped out of her handcuffs, operated a cellphone and refused to turn over the phone.
At police headquarters, Bachus was unwilling to consent to a breath test, according to the report.
At one point, it says, she was ordered to sit down after she stood up and took some steps toward the back of the room, the report says.
"Bachus then balled her right hand into a fist," Enos' report says, "raised it above her shoulder, and struck me in the left arm just below my elbow."
Bachus' page on LinkedIn identifies her as a clinical social worker for the State of Rhode Island; the police report lists her employer as the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families. DCYF spokeswoman Damaris Teixeira said Bachus last worked as an employee of the agency in 2017.
Smith released Bachus on personal recognizance.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Warwick School Committee member charged with DUI, assaulting officer
