Nicolas Bell '09 was arrested April 1 for allegedly kicking in four ground-level windows at 220 Thayer St., which sits at the corner of Thayer and Waterman streets and houses STA Travel and Salon Kroma, according to a Providence Police Department incident report. The incident occurred at 12:44 a.m.
Bell told The Herald he plans to plead not guilty to a charge of malicious mischief at a hearing scheduled for April 18.
PPD and Department of Public Safety officers responded to a report that a college-age man wearing a "Brown Lacrosse" sweatshirt was kicking in store windows. PPD and DPS officers searched the building and surrounding area and noticed Bell outside of Café Paragon, located at 234 Thayer St. Bell was wearing a sweatshirt matching witnesses' descriptions and had several bleeding cuts on his legs, according to the report.
PPD officers took Bell into custody and transported him to PPD's downtown headquarters, where they charged Bell with malicious mischief, according to the report.
Bell "appeared very intoxicated and smelled of alcohol," according to the report.
Bell said he does remember seeing other men kicking in windows as well, but he does not know who they were or whether they were Brown students.
Bell attended a pre-arraignment April 5 where his charge was explained. He will attend a hearing April 18. At the hearing, he plans to plead not guilty to the charge "as written by the police," he said.
"I'm pleading innocent just upon the advice of my lawyer," he said. Bell's lawyer told him the charge will most likely be dismissed because the incident is his first offense and the charge is only a misdemeanor, Bell said.
Bell expects he will be asked to pay retribution for the broken windows, he said. He has not talked to the owner of STA Travel about the cost, but he said he expects it will be "inexpensive."
