BY VINAYA SAKSENA

CENTRAL FALLS — An altercation involving residents of a Fletcher Street home Sunday afternoon led to a stabbing and the arrest of three people, one of whom is now free, according to a district court official.

Three suspects were due to be arraigned on Monday, having been arrested the previous day by the Central Falls Police Department. According to police logs, 35-year-old Adrian Laureano was arrested Sunday on a charge of felony assault with a dangerous weapon or substance, while 49-year-old Evelyn Oyola and 29-yer-old Denise Diaz were arrested on
one count each of simple assault or battery.
On Monday, a court official told the Times that Oyola had “plead out,” or plead no lo to the charge against her, and had since been released. Diaz, meanwhile, would reportedly have been eligible to go free on $1,000 cash bail, but was being held as a superior court violator, pending a decision by the superior court. According to the aforementioned court official, Laureano would also be eligible for bail- figured at $25,000 surety- but was also being held without bail on a previous charge.
According to Col. Joseph Moran, the city’s police chief, officers responded to a report of a disturbance on Dexter Street at approximately 4:20 p.m. on Sunday. During this disturbance, police learned, it appeared that a 19-year-old male had been stabbed, for which Laureano is facing the armed assault charge.
“It was just an issue with a couple of tenants,” Moran said. “It just escalated. It’s an unfortunate incident that took place among tenants.”
According to Moran, the youth allegedly stabbed by Laureano had been hospitalized, though the youth’s status was unclear as of press time. According to Moran, Oyola and Diaz, whom he identified as mother and daughter, respectively, had allegedly been involved in an assault on another person during the incident, though the victim’s identity was not clear.
Moran said it was not known exactly what set off the dispute that led to the arrests. However, he pointed out that the incident was not believed to be linked in any way to the recent pair of shootings that shocked city residents or any subsequent incidents in the last couple of weeks.
Moran added that local safety and code enforcement officials would likely be inspecting the home where the incident took place. He said that despite the tensions sparked by the recent shootings, Central Falls was “a safe city,” made up of mostly good people, the problems being caused mainly by a small minority of individuals, many of whom were believed to hail from outside the city, or even the state. Nevertheless, Moran said he wanted to send a clear message to those who infringed on residents’ right to a peaceful life.
“If they’re looking for our attention, they got our attention,” Moran said. “We’re not (allowing) that type of behavior.”
Laureano, meanwhile, is due back in district court for a hearing on a technical violation on June 18, according to a court official. It was not clear as of press time when Oyola and Diaz may be back in court, though unofficial court records indicated that Diaz had a pending district court date of June 19.