Rhode Island lawmaker accused of keying car faces vandalism charges

A Rhode Island lawmaker has been arrested and charged on allegations he keyed a vehicle at a shopping center earlier this week, authorities said.

State Sen. Joshua Miller, a 69-year-old Democrat, was charged with vandalism, the Cranston Police Department said in a news release.

An officer at around 3:40 p.m. Wednesday responded to the Garden City Shopping Center on the report of a vandalized SUV.

The SUV’s owner and their passenger said they were returning to their parked vehicle when they heard a loud scratching sound consistent with someone “keying” the vehicle.

The SUV’s owner told the officer he saw a man standing on the passenger side of his vehicle holding a keychain gripping a single key who quickly walked away from their vehicle, police said.

The passenger noticed a large scratch on the passenger side of the vehicle, according to police.

The passenger asked the man, later identified as Miller, if he had keyed the vehicle, but Miller denied the accusation and quickly walked away, police said.

The victim noticed a vehicle parked next to his with a “Re-elect Senator Josh Miller” bumper sticker.

He searched for information about the lawmaker on his phone and found a photo of Miller, which he immediately recognized as the person he suspected of keying his car, police said.

Officers located Miller around two hours later and stopped him when he returned to the vehicle the victim suspected was his.

After the officer told Miller he was investigating a crime, Miller denied the allegation and said a person inside the victim’s vehicle had threatened him.

The victim was called back to the scene and identified Miller as the person who keyed his vehicle, police said.

Miller told the officer that he was being threatened by “gun nuts” at the State House and believed the person in the vehicle may have recognized him as a state senator and threatened him for that reason, police said.

After viewing surveillance video that backed the victim’s claim, officers responded to Miller’s residence to re-interview him.

Miller admitted to damaging the vehicle, telling officers the vehicle’s owner had “dared” him to do it.

Miller voluntarily responded to Cranston Police Headquarters, where he was charged with vandalism/malicious injury to property, police said.

He was released on $1,000 bail after his arraignment.

Miller’s next scheduled court appearance is July 18 for a re-arraingment.

“Nobody is above the law, including those who make and enforce the laws,” Winquist said in a statement.

“The officers who handled this investigation did so with fairness, integrity, and without preferential treatment.”