Troopers make multiple drug arrests in Providence traffic stops

PROVIDENCE — Two Massachusetts residents and one local man were arrested in separate incidents involving illegal drugs following traffic stops by Rhode Island State Police, authorities said Monday.

At 9:55 a.m., troopers from the Lincoln Woods Barracks took 18-year-old Jose Ortiz of Providence into custody after stopping his vehicle on Route 6 East.

Ortiz, residing at 283 Warrington Street, was arrested on charges of possessing over two ounces of marijuana.

He was processed at the barracks, appeared before a Justice of the Peace, and was released with a scheduled appearance at the Sixth District Court.

Later, in the early hours at 1:32 a.m., Robert Savage, 33, from New Bedford, Massachusetts, was arrested after a stop on River Avenue.

Savage, of 218 Whitman Street, faces charges for the manufacturing, delivery, and possession with intent to deliver cocaine, as well as possession of less than 10 grams of fentanyl.

After being processed at Lincoln Woods Barracks, Savage was arraigned, released, and given a court date.

In a coinciding incident at the same time, 44-year-old Kimberly Arruda of Swansea, Massachusetts, was also detained by troopers on River Avenue.

Arruda, who lives at 1012 Sharps Lot Road, was charged with possession of a controlled substance (Adderall).

She was processed at the barracks and held overnight, pending an arraignment scheduled for the following morning at the Sixth District Court.