Cranston man found guilty of DUI, seriously injuring child, adult passengers
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Attorney General Peter Neronha announced Tuesday that a Cranston man was found guilty of driving under the influence and causing a crash that seriously injured his child and another passenger back in 2019.
On November 29, 2023, after a six day jury trial, Glen Teolis, 52, was found guilty of two counts of DUI resulting in serious bodily injury, two counts of reckless driving resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of felony reckless driving.
Teolis is currently being held without bail at the ACI pending a sentencing hearing scheduled for January 25, 2024. He was also previously convicted of reckless driving back in 2002 and 2008.
During the trial, the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that on March 31, 2019, Teolis drove under the influence of alcohol and caused a crash on Olney Arnold Road in Cranston that seriously injured his 10-year-old child and another 21-year-old passenger.
Prior to the crash, Teolis flew to Rhode Island from Florida, where he was living at the time, to visit his son. After he arrived in Rhode Island, Teolis, his son and a 21-year-old co-worker visited multiple bars in East Greenwich.
While at those bars, Teolis drank multiple alcoholic beverages, as witnessed by wait staff. At 8:20 p.m. that night, Teolis left the bar in his Nissan Altima with his child and co-worker.
During the drive, both passengers told Teolis to slow down and stop, to which Teolis refused. According to testimony, Teolis reached speeds of 100 miles-per-hour on Route 295 north and drove in the breakdown lane to pass other cars.
At approximately 8:45 p.m., Teolis lost control of his car on a slight curve on Olney Arnold road at a high rate of speed, crossing a driveway before striking a large tree with so much force, the hood became wrapped around the tree and the car became lifted off the ground.
According to vehicle sensors, Teolis was traveling around 75 miles-per-hour at the time of the crash and the brakes were not activated. The speed limit on Olney Arnold Road is 25 mph.
Investigators determined that Teolis had a BAC of .125 one hour after the crash. The extent of the injuries to both passengers were extensive and required multiple days of hospitalization.
“This was a completely avoidable incident, and unfortunately we see impaired driving cases like this one all too often,” said Colonel Michael Winquist of the Cranston Police Department.
“While there is no justice that can undo the damage done, I am glad to see the defendant was held accountable. I want to thank our officers and investigators, as well as our partners at the Attorney General’s Office, for their investigation and prosecution of this case,” Col. Winquist concluded.
