North Smithfield trans woman carrying ‘service rat’ charged with assault against officers

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WOONSOCKET – When an individual who described herself as a transgender woman walked into Luc’s Bar in Fairmount with a hairless pet rat on her shoulder Monday afternoon, the police showed up and matters were resolved without much fuss.

But things got considerably more complicated a few hours later, when police say they found Britney Jones, still clutching her cuddly rodent, as she lay sprawled on a patch of grass outside Kentucky Fried Chicken. This time, Jones was clearly intoxicated and became combative when they informed her they intended to take her to the hospital for observation, according to officers. During a fracas that ensued when they attempted to get her into custody, she allegedly assaulted two police officers, exposed her breasts and penis to them and threatened to kill at least one of them by squashing his neck between her thighs.

Jones, 42, of 60 School St., North Smithfield, remains free on personal recognizance on condition she seek pretrial alcohol and mental health counseling, according to the judiciary’s web site. She has another hearing in Sixth District Court scheduled for June 12. Jones, who’s never been arrested before, is charged with two counts of simple assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. She is also charged with violating municipal ordinances prohibiting public intoxication and indecent exposure.

According to police reports, employees of Luc’s Bar on River Street had instructed Jones to leave the premises with her rat around 4 p.m. Monday, May 22, telling her it was improper to have the animal in a bar where food and beverages are served.

Jones protested, saying the rat was “a service animal” and that she was being discriminated against because she is transgender.

Police spoke to a number of patrons, however, who told them Jones had become “agitated and confrontational” when they asked her to remove the furless four-legger from the premises. Eventually, Jones backed down and left without further incident, according to Patrolman Dominic Pompei’s report.

About 9:20 p.m., police were summoned to  KFC, located opposite police headquarters, and reportedly saw members of the Woonsocket Fire Department standing over Jones as she lay on a strip of greenery adjacent to the parking lot. Members of the WFD were informing her that she needed to go to the hospital, but Jones was refusing to move, and she didn’t want anyone to separate her from the pet rat, which was still with her, according to reports.

“Jones kept taking the rat and placing it underneath her shirt onto her breasts to prevent the WFD from removing the rat from her,” another of Pompei’s reports says. “WFD retrieved a container to place the rat inside of, however, Jones refused to cooperate.”

Around this time, Jones allegedly began tugging on her shirt to expose her breasts while making obscene comments, according to police. She also began pulling down her jeans, exposing her penis about the grounds of the fried chicken restaurant, which was open for business with patrons coming and going.

Several police officers were summoned to the scene in attempts to remove Jones from the area. Police say she violently resisted their efforts and assaulted two of the responding officers as they attempted to get Jones into a pair of handcuffs. 

Ultimately, police carried her into a police cruiser for transportation, but at some point the notion that the destination would be a hospital evaporated and police decided instead to take her into custody without an evaluation. They say she continued to resist after police delivered her to the outdoor entryway to the booking area at the police headquarters, deliberately dropping her pants to her ankles to make walking difficult. Police ended up removing the garment.

Reports say Jones was so combative inside the police station that for a time she was initially held in a padded cell and that her handcuffs were not removed.

Meanwhile, personnel from the Animal Control Division collected the pet rat for safekeeping. 

Follow Russ Olivo on Twitter @russolivo

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11 COMMENTS

  1. This news article is completely made up. I wasn’t suffering from intoxication and I was never tested and never went to hospital for my injuries from 5 police officers. I was passed out in the grass near a KFC because I was suffering from amnesia and a concussion to my head. The Woonsocket police attacked me and assaulted me while I was on the ground and tried to take my emotional support creature away from me when I attempted to put the creature in my bra. They beat me and I had abrasions to my nose. Instead of being sent to hospital for evaluation and treatment I was thrown into a cell with concrete on all floors and walls. There was no padding. When they threw me into the empty cell my forehead banged the ground when I then felt my Vision and consciousness dissapear. I woke some time later still with cuffs on. I heard the police laugh at the sound of my screams and cries. I have a lawyer and mean full well to sue for police brutality towards a transgender woman.

    • It seems they wanted to take you to the hospital, but did not, and that concerns me. You should have been regardless. For your own safety and health and immediate diagnosis and care.
      But that aside, getting the eval the court wants so you remain free, is imperative on your journey. Please get that done. Best wishes.

      • Thank you. I pray everyday for God to help me and to help me deal with the migraines and nightmares I keep experiencing over this traumatic event. God will give me Justice.

        • So let me get this straight, you’re just hanging outside of KFC with your therapy rat and 5 Woonsocket PD officers attack you and lock you up ??

  2. Leaving aside the whole “service animal” thing, which requires that the animal be trained to perform specific tasks to aid the owner and, clearly, a rat has not been so trained… “SHE showed HER penis.” Is nobody seeing the lunacy in that statement?

  3. Have to admit, Russ has a way with his reporting verbiage. Great sense of humor in hard times.
    To add, that unless a little something has not been lopped off, it’s still very much a male. Nuf said….
    Now the threat of squashing a policeman’s neck between her thighs…..well that, uh, takes talent?!

    • I’m LOVING a slice of Woonsocket news dabbled into the mix-especially because it’s a town resident making the news! I’m sure our officers are pleased they didn’t have to deal with this person this time. Neighbors of this person chime in!

  4. That’s what you’re worried about in this article. Who’s calling who what ?? Not this is the one of the most disturbing and unbelievable incidents ??? I thought this might have been a script for a new Southpark episode!!!

    Let’s make sure we get the pronouns correct, because that’s the issue….and we wonder why our society is the way it is.

  5. I suppose transgender men and women don’t want to see “trans” before the word man or woman when describing their actions, but when “exposed breasts & penis” is the action then I guess it’s necessary. Just getting ahead of any future argument here.

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