NORTH SMITHFIELD – A 32-year-old North Providence man was arrested at Traveler’s Motor Lodge this month after a victim told police the man assaulted his pregnant wife and pointed a gun at them, causing her to have a seizure.
Andrew Jimmis told officers a different story, but was found in possession of a loaded .22 pistol with no serial number in the trunk of his car, which he said he built by buying parts online.
According to one of the victims, a 31-year-old man from North Providence, Jimmis was visiting the hotel to hang out with him and his wife. The couple got into an argument with Jimmis about money, according the man’s statement to police.
The victim said Jimmis became angry and started swinging at his pregnant wife, hitting her leg and face. He said he then grabbed Jimmis by the throat, and managed to push him out of the hotel room. The man said Jimmis then pulled a black gun from his backpack and pointed it at him, at which point his wife fell to the floor and began having a seizure.
A loaded gun was located in a holster inside the trunk of Jimmis’s car, and the woman, who was, “conscious but not coherent,” according to police, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital.
In his statement to police, Jimmis said he arrived at the hotel at midnight to visit the couple, who he described as friends. He said he rolled a marijuana joint, but the woman attempted to interfere with the process and pushed away her husband’s hand when he went to take it, causing an argument. He said the husband then grabbed him by the throat and began punching him.
Jimmis denied taking out a gun, saying his pistol had stayed in the trunk of his car. He also denied putting any items into the vehicle after the incident, but his statement contradicted surveillance footage later obtained from the hotel, according to police.
Jimmis did not have a permit for the gun, and told officers he also owned a handgun, made with parts purchased online.
Police could not establish from the footage whether or not Jimmis had pointed the gun at the couple due to the camera angle. He was charged with carrying an unlicensed pistol and disorderly conduct.
Jimmis has a pre-arraignment conference scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 14.
