RUTLAND — On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at approximately 9:15 a.m., Rutland Police Officer Patrick Patenaude was conducting traffic enforcement on East Country Road near Mile Road when he saw a brown Volkswagen Jetta with Massachusetts plates traveling north.
(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 alerted me that the vehicle may not have valid insurance,” Officer Patenaude said. “When I ran the registration in CJIS [the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) database], the vehicle’s registration came back as revoked for insurance. I subsequently pulled out onto East Country Road, activated my blue lights, and attempted to catch up to the vehicle.”
Officer Patenaude said that, as he caught up to the vehicle, it turned into the driveway of 309 East Country Road, which has a long dirt driveway.
“As I pulled behind the vehicle, it stopped and the operator exited the vehicle before I exited my cruiser,” Officer Patenaude said. “I stepped out of my cruiser and told him to get back in his car, and asked dispatch for an additional unit.”
Officer Patenaude stated that upon approaching the vehicle, he identified himself, informed the driver they were being audio and video recorded, and explained the reason for the traffic stop.
“The operator immediately stated that his friend exited the vehicle to urinate and he did not know where he went,” Officer Patenaude said. “I observed the vehicle while it was still travelling on East County Road, as well as when it pulled into the driveway of 309 East County Road, and never saw anyone exit the vehicle. I also noticed all of the passenger seats were cluttered with items that would have made it very difficult to sit in as a passenger. Due to the operator’s furtive movements and suspicious statements, I asked him to step back out of the vehicle for my safety.”
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Officer Patenaude said that the driver identified himself as Steven Robinson with his US Passport.
According to police, Steven M. Robinson, Jr., 37, is a resident of Providence Road in South Grafton, MA.
“Mr. Robinson stated that he had a valid MA [Massachusetts] driver’s license but did not have it on him,” Officer Patenaude said. “He also stated that he has the right to travel in MA under a US Passport rather than a driver’s license, which I informed him was incorrect. When I asked Mr. Robinson why he was in the driveway of 309 East County, he stated that he was going to work on Intervale Road, which indicated to me that he attempted to elude me by entering the driveway of 309 East Country Road.”
Officer Patenaude said that, at approximately 9:44 a.m., Officer Jason Citrynell arrived on scene to assist.
“After Officer Citrynell arrived, I went back to my police cruiser and utilized CJIS to locate Mr. Robinson’s license status, which came back as suspended for OUI,” Officer Patenaude said. “I subsequently placed Mr. Robinson in handcuffs and advised him that he was under arrest for suspended operation. I checked the handcuffs for tightness and double locked them. I performed a check of Mr. Robinson’s person for weapons and placed him in my cruiser. I requested a tow from dispatch and Officer Citrynell and I inventoried the vehicle per department policy and filled out the appropriate form. I was advised Rutland Towing would be enroute.”
At approximately 9:50 a.m., Officer Patenaude transported Mr. Robinson to the Rutland Police Station for booking, while Officer Citrynell remained on scene awaiting the tow. Rutland Towing removed the vehicle at approximately 10:06 a.m.
“At approximately 10:00 a.m., Mr. Robinson was booked per department policy with Officer Citrynell shortly after my arrival,” Officer Patenaude said. “Mr. Robinson’s person was searched again for weapons, he was read his Miranda rights, and allowed to make a phone call. Mr. Robinson’s personal property was inventoried, a suicide check was performed, and he was finger printed and photographed.”
Officer Patenaude served Mr. Robinson with a citation by placing it in his personal property bag. The citation was issued for the following offense:
- Operating a motor vehicle with a license suspended for OUI
“I also provided Mr. Robinson with a citation for the registered owner and placed it in his property bag,” Officer Patenaude added. “At approximately 11:07 a.m., Mr. Robinson was placed in Officer Citrynell’s cruiser and transported to East Brookfield District Court for arraignment.”
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in July, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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