PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The Rhode Island Supreme Court upheld the conviction of former North Providence Police Chief John Whiting for stealing $714 from a stripper and then soliciting a Pawtucket police officer to take the stolen money to help cover it up.
The Providence Journal reports (https://bit.ly/1ew847a ) the Wednesday decision rejected the assertion by Whiting’s attorney, John Reilly, that a Superior Court judge got it wrong when he sentenced Whiting to a felony charge instead of a misdemeanor in 2012.
Weeks prior to Whiting’s initial sentencing lawmakers changed the threshold for felony larceny from $500 to $1,500.
The Supreme Court found that the amended law should not be applied retroactively in Whiting’s case.
Reilly says that he is still absorbing the decision, but could possibly file a motion to re-argue the case.
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Information from: The Providence Journal, https://www.providencejournal.com
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