NORTH SMITHFIELD – A man who federal authorities say was in the country illegally was taken into custody by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month following a domestic incident.
Gilberto Pereira Campos, 46, was taken by ICE on a warrant on Sunday, Jan. 19 according to police records. He was facing domestic violence charges with the North Smithfield Police Department including simple assault, felony assault, vandalism, disorderly conduct and refusal to relinquish a telephone.
According to the arrest report, police were called to a home in the Branch Village area of town for a disturbance around 3:30 p.m. and found Pereira Campos standing in the driveway. Pereira Campos spoke only Portuguese according to officers, who took statements from the only English-speaking person on the scene, one of three parties involved in the incident.
The witness told police that an argument between Pereira Campos and another party in the home had escalated until the other party attempted to call for help. Pereira Campos took the cell phone from the victim and threw it against a wall, breaking the device, according to the reporting party. The witness told officers that he stepped in attempting to deescalate the situation, but Pereira Campos began pushing and shoving back before grabbing a kitchen knife.
The witness said he attempted to take the knife, but Pereira Campos would not let it go, leading to a large laceration to the individual’s thumb. According to officers, the witness was unable to move the thumb because the connecting tendons had been completely severed. The individual reportedly called police after Pereira Campos dropped the knife and exited the residence. The witness was transported by North Smithfield Fire & Rescue for medical treatment.
Police state that evidence at the scene corroborated the witness account.
Officers were initially unable to complete the booking process at the station as they could not locate a translator, but the report notes that soon after, the department received a fax from ICE stating that Pereira Campos was an illegal immigrant with a detainer.
NSPD contacted an officer from Cumberland fluent in Portuguese who was able to translate proceedings over the phone when Pereira Campos later appeared before a justice of the peace. He was given a court date to return before he was handed over to ICE authorities and transported from the station.
