CRIME

Cranston middle school locked down, father arrested after disturbance

Jack Perry
The Providence Journal

CRANSTON — A middle school was locked down Thursday morning when a father trying to pick up his daughter became disruptive after he was initially told he couldn't take the child, according to Cranston police.

Joshua J. Mello, 46, of Lafayette St., Johnston, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and carrying a prohibited weapon, a knife, during the incident at Western Hills Middle School, according to the police.

The police say Mello continued to be disruptive, even after he was told he could take the child. Five police officers ultimately responded to the school.

Cranston police say Joshua Mello was carrying this knife and two smaller knives when he was arrested at Western Hills Middle School on Thursday.

Called to Western Hills Middle School at about 8:30 a.m., Officer Edward R. Arruda saw "a male subject who appeared to be upset," in the main hallway, Arruda wrote in a police report. When Arruda asked him what was happening, the man, later identified as Mello, said, "nothing at all, these (expletives) won't give me my kid," Arruda wrote. 

Arruda asked the man his name. He replied, "It's Josh. That's all you're getting," Arruda wrote.

At that point, a school official approached them and said Mello was there to pick up his daughter, who had spilled something on her pants, but there was an issue due to a "Family Court Order," Arruda wrote. 

"Josh interrupted him saying there's no family order, it's (expletive, expletive), it's false information," Arruda wrote.

When a copy of the order was shown to Mello, he grabbed it and started ripping it up, Arruda wrote.

Arruda said he told Mello to "relax," and they would work it out. He said fellow officer John P. Rocchio also tried to calm Mello.

During the incident, the school received verbal permission from the girl's biological mother for Mello to take the child, according to the police.

"It was at this point we realized that Joshua was not going to calm down or listen to us, even though his child was going to be signed out to him," Arruda wrote.

Rocchio wrote, "I explained several times that he was allowed to take his daughter but he didn't like the fact that the decision wasn't his. He apparently became more irate about the use of the word 'allow.' Yelling that we were not allowing him to do anything."

"We continued to attempt to calm him down so his daughter could be brought down. These numerous attempts to calm him were unsuccessful," Rocchio wrote.

Rocchio saw what he thought were two pocket knives in belt clips on Mello.

"Due to Mello's loud and tumultuous behavior, his increased belligerence and actions, as well as the fact that I believed him to be in possession of two knives, I determined that I was going to take him into custody," Rocchio wrote.

To take him into custody, the two officers had to wrestle Mello to the ground between the doors of the school.

Mello had previously been escorted from a School Committee meeting on Aug. 16 for "blatantly disrupting the meeting," Arruda wrote.

The School Department has obtained no-trespassing orders against Mello for the middle school and the school administration building, police said. 

jperry@providencejournal.com

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