RUTLAND — On Thursday, May 29, 2025, at approximately 8:25 a.m., Officer Patrick Patenaude of the Rutland Police Department was on patrol, driving northbound on Pommogussett Road near Memorial Drive when he observed a red Jeep Grand Cherokee with Massachusetts plates travelling southbound.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Patrick Patenaude and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“When the vehicle passed by me, my Automatic License Plate recognition system notified me that there was a hit on the registration to the vehicle,” Officer Patenaude said. “When I ran the registration in CJIS [the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) database] on my MDT [Mobile Data Terminal], I confirmed that both the registration status and the registered owner’s license status were suspended. I subsequently turned around and stopped the vehicle in the driveway of Saint Patrick’s Church on Pommogussett Road.”
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Officer Patenaude said that he approached the vehicle, identified himself, told the driver of the vehicle that he was being audio and video recorded, and explained the reason for the traffic stop.
“The operator identified himself as Mr. Elio Espino with his MA driver’s license, who is also the registered owner of the vehicle,” Offcier Patenaude said. “Mr. Espino’s juvenile daughter was in the passenger seat of the vehicle as well. Mr. Espino stated he knew there was an issue with his status previously due to a missed child support payment, but stated he thought he had rectified the issue.”
According to police, Elio Antonio Espino, 34, is a resident of Lisbon Street in Worcester, MA.
“I advised Mr. Espino that I would have to tow his vehicle and cite him for both his license and registration status,” Officer Patenaude said.
Officer Patenaude handed Espino a criminal citation for the following:
- Operating a motor vehicle after license suspension
- Operating a motor vehicle with a suspended registration
“I subsequently requested a tow from dispatch and was advised Rutland Towing would be enroute,” Officer Patenaude explained. “I inventoried the vehicle per department policy and filled out the appropriate form, in which a copy of was later provided to dispatch. I also requested a certified copy of suspension for both the license and registration status from dispatch. I offered Mr. Espino and his daughter a courtesy transport, but they declined.”
Officer Patenaude said that, at approximately 8:45 a.m., Rutland Towing took the vehicle and he cleared the scene returning to town-wide patrol service.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in May, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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