Man Charged Following Milestone Rotary Crash, Attempt To Flee Scene
David Creed •
This week’s Current Court report includes arraignments and dispositions from the Tuesday Nantucket District Court session. It is led by the arraignment of an island resident arraigned following a hit & run at the Milestone Rotary over the weekend and a South Boston man after he broke into the John Jay Cottage on the Wharf.
William Rodrigo Nunes, 29, of Nantucket was arraigned on Oct. 12thcharges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of property damage, speeding, failure to stop/yield, and a marked lanes violation. He had not-guilty pleas entered on his behalf and was ordered to return to court Nov. 17th for a pretrial hearing.
According to the police report, Officer Jack Moran was on duty driving eastbound on Old South Road when he observed a Green 2014 Chevy Silverado Pickup Truck driving toward him in the other lane at approximately 50 miles per hour while also crossing over the double yellow lines.
This led Moran to conduct a U-turn and follow the vehicle until it reached the rotary. Moran said he observed the truck fail to yield at the entrance of the rotary to traffic already traveling within the rotary and saw it strike a Gray 2015 Jeep Wrangler in the front passenger side door. The truck failed to stop and proceeded to flee the scene before striking a National Grid telephone pole.
Moran was finally able to get the truck to stop in the area of 172 Orange Street and was able to identify the driver as Nunes. He observed Nunes to have bloodshot and glossy eyes, unsteadiness on his feet, and an odor of alcohol emanating from his facial area. Moran said he was unable to determine whether Nunes’ speech was slurred due to a “strong Portuguese language barrier.”
Moran said Nunes failed three of four field sobriety tests, and back at the police station took two breathalyzer tests that resulted in .127 percent BAC and .133 percent BAC.
In other District Court news this week, Christian Robert Garagusi, 24, of South Boston was arraigned on Oct. 13thcharges of breaking and entering a building in the nighttime for a felony, possessing a Class B drug, and trespassing. He had not-guilty pleas entered on his behalf and was ordered to return to court Nov. 3rd for a pretrial hearing.
According to the police report, Nantucket Police officer Jack Moran received a dispatch to respond to 47 Straight Wharf (John Jay's Cottage) for the report of a male party actively trying to break into a door of the dwelling at approximately 12:48 a.m., and that the suspect was continuously attempting to gain access after being told through the door he's not allowed to enter by the individuals staying in the cottage.
Police were told while responding that the suspect had gained access to the building. When officers arrived on scene at the cottage, dispatch said the man had exited the residence and fled the area. He was described as a white male wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. Moran said he and another officer observed a male party standing on the dock approximately 20 yards from the cottage matching the provided description. The male party was later identified as Garagusi after he was detained and escorted to the front of John Jay's Cottage, where he was positively identified as the reported intruder by the alleged victims and residents of the cottage.
The alleged victims told police that Garagusi was repeatedly told not to enter the building and that he was not welcome, however, Garagusi allegedly disregarded these warnings repeatedly and ultimately was able to force entry through a locked door and gain access inside. Once inside, one of the alleged victims placed hands on Garagusi's chest to stop his progress further into the home, only to have Garagusi shove the victim’s hands away and make an attempt around the victim and further into the dwelling.
When Garagusi was brought to the Nantucket Police Department, police discovered a half of a blue pill inside of a Zyn nicotine pouch container without a required prescription. It was identified as being a 30 mg Oxycodone pill.
In other Nantucket District Court news, Enmanuel A. Gil Martinez, 40, of Nantucket was arraigned on Sept. 1st charges of negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, failure to stop/yield, and speeding. He had not-guilty pleas entered on his behalf and was ordered to return to court Nov. 3rd for a pretrial hearing.
Marcio S. Rodrigues da Silva, 47, of Nantucket was found guilty by a Nantucket jury on June 30th, 2024 charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and negligent operation of a motor vehicle while being found not responsible on a charge of speeding. Rodrigues da Silva was ordered to forfeit his license for 45 days and complete one year of probation.