Arson suspect accused of throwing cup of feces at officers

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (WPRI) — The man accused of setting fire to a predominantly Black church in North Providence earlier this year is facing additional charges after he reportedly threw a cup full of feces and bodily fluids at two correctional officers while incarcerated, NewsNation affiliate WPRI has learned.

Kevin Colantonio, 35, was taken into custody back in February on a felony arson charge after investigators spotted him on surveillance footage using gasoline to set a series of fires outside the Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries.

Federal court documents unsealed Monday reveal that Colantonio was being held at the Wyatt Detention Facility back in March when he assaulted the two correctional officers who brought him his breakfast.

The correctional officers approached Colantonio’s cell, opened the “food trap” and offered him coffee, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit noted that Colantonio went to grab a cup off of the sink in his cell “as if to accept a cup of coffee.”

But instead of holding the cup out for the correctional officers to pour the coffee into, the affidavit said Colantonio “unexpectedly” threw a mixture of feces and bodily fluids at them through the food trap.

The affidavit stated “a large amount of feces and bodily fluids” wound up on both officers’ uniforms and the dayroom floor.

Colantonio has since been charged with felony assault on a federal officer.

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