Providence man sentenced to serve 6 ½ years in state prison for possessing illegal pistol
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Providence man was sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve six and a half years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) stemming from his 2020 arrest, following a vehicle stop in Central Falls, for illegally possessing a pistol.
Cashmier Fields (age 32) entered a plea of nolo contendere to possession of a firearm after a previous conviction of a crime of violence and possession of a pistol without a license.
At a hearing on November 5, 2021, before Superior Court Justice David Cruise, the Court sentenced Fields to serve six and a half years at the ACI, to be followed by a consecutive 10-year suspended sentence with probation.
“This case is yet another example of how proactive work by law enforcement to identify and prosecute criminals in possession of illegal firearms before they can use those firearms to harm others advances public safety,” said Attorney General Neronha. “The defendant here is no newcomer to the criminal justice scene, and it does not require a leap of faith to conclude that only because of law enforcement intervention and action was an act of violence averted. I am grateful to Chief Roberson and the men and women of the Central Falls Police Department for their outstanding work in this case.”
Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that during the evening of December 20, 2020, members of the Central Falls Police Department arrested Fields for illegally possessing a firearm following a vehicle stop on Dexter Street.
During the vehicle stop, a fellow passenger, Emmanuel Narcisse, was also arrested for illegally possessing a firearm.
Central Falls Police Officers seized a Ruger P95 9mm semi-automatic pistol, loaded with seven bullets, from Fields. Officers also seized a Glock 43 .380 semi-automatic pistol, loaded with three bullets, from Narcisse.
The prosecution of the case against Narcisse remains pending in Providence County Superior Court. On November 10, 2021, the Providence Police Department arrested Narcisse while he was released on bail for carrying a pistol without a permit and resisting arrest. As a result, Narcisse is currently being held at the ACI for violating the terms of his bail.
Under Rhode Island law, individuals convicted of crimes of violence are prohibited from possessing firearms. Fields was previously convicted of delivery of cocaine in 2009.
“Now more than ever, our focus is on getting guns out of the hands of those who are prohibited from having them, to prevent further violence in our communities,” Colonel Anthony Roberson, Central Falls police chief. “Our continued work with the Attorney General’s office and partnering agencies signals an expanded commitment from the Central Falls Police Department to target violent crime and keep our city safe.”
Sergeant Jeffrey Araujo and Officer Jonathan Karraz of the Central Falls Police Department and Assistant Attorney General Joseph J. McBurney of the Office of the Attorney General led the investigation and prosecution of the case.
