Crime & Safety
Convicted Child Molester Released From ACI: News Sources
Richard Gardner was released Monday after a judge decided false statements made on his marriage license did not violate his probation.
WARWICK, RI —Convicted child rapist Richard Gardner is a free man again. Gardner, 51, had been the focus of neighborhood protests and police surveillance since he was released from a Bay State prison in October and moved to Providence. Cranston police arrested him earlier this month and charged with making false statements on his marriage application. Police said Gardner and his fiancee went to Cranston City Hall on Oct. 12 and applied for a marriage license. He gave a Weymouth, Mass., address, but he was really living in Providence.
He was charged with two misdemeanors and sent to state prison as a probation violator. However, WPRI-TV reports the judge said the two offenses did not equal a probation violation. The charges were dismissed, and he was released.
Cranston police had brought the charges against Gardner. Col. Michael Winquist, the chief, said he had no comment.
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