“I CAN BUY YOU” – Senator’s Arrogant Daughter Mocks Judge Caprio & Instantly Regrets It.

You know what? I can buy you.

Good morning, everyone.

Please take your seats.

We have a case before us today that I need to tell you about.

And I’m going to take my time with this one because in all my years sitting in this chair.

And believe me, I’ve been doing this for a very long time, I’ve learned that some cases require more than just a quick ruling.

Some cases demand that we stop, that we really look at what’s happening in front of us, and that we think deeply about what justice truly means.

You know, I often say that justice isn’t just about laws written in books or precedents set by courts that came before us.

Justice is about the soul of a community.

It’s about the fabric that holds us together as human beings.

It’s about whether we can look our neighbors in the eye and say, “Yes, we live in a place where right matters, where wrong has consequences, where every person, regardless of their bank account or their family name, stands equal before the law.

That’s what I believe.

That’s what I’ve always believed.

And that’s what I’ll continue to believe as long as I have breath in my body and the privilege of sitting in this chair.

” Now, before we dive into the specifics of today’s case, I want to establish something that should be obvious, but sometimes gets forgotten in the noise of our modern world.

This courtroom is a sacred place.

I don’t mean sacred in a religious sense, though many of us carry our faith with us wherever we go.

I mean sacred in the sense that this is where we come to seek truth, to find fairness, to restore balance when someone has tipped the scales.

This is where victims find their voice.

This is where the accused have their day.

This is where society says we will not tolerate certain behaviors and we will hold people accountable when they cross the line.

And in this courtroom, I don’t care if you’re the richest person in Rhode Island or if you’re struggling to make rent this month.

I don’t care if your last name is known by everyone in Providence or if nobody’s ever heard of you.

I don’t care if you went to the finest private schools or if you barely finished high school.

I don’t care if you drive a h 100,000 dollar car or if you take the bus.

In here in this space, everyone is equal.

Everyone gets the same respect, the same consideration, the same application of the law.

That’s how it works.

That’s how it should work.

And that’s how it will always work as long as I’m the one making these decisions.

So, let’s talk about why we’re all here on this particular morning.

The defendant standing before me is a young woman.

She’s 23 years old.

Her name is Madison Elizabeth Thornton.

She was born on March 12th, 2001.

She currently resides at 1840 7 Blackstone Boulevard, which is in the east side of Providence, one of the more affluent neighborhoods in our city.

Her father is Robert Thornton, the CEO of Thornton Industries, one of the largest real estate development companies in Rhode Island.

I’m told his company has a valuation of over $400 million.

They own properties all over this state.

They employ hundreds of people.

They’re what we might call a prominent family.

But you know what? None of that matters to me.

What matters is what she did.

What matters is the choice she made.

What matters is is whether she understands the difference between right and wrong and whether she’s willing to accept responsibility when she crosses that line.

Because that’s what we’re really here to determine today.

Let me paint you a picture of what happened.

And I want you to really see this in your mind.

It’s August 15th, 2024.

It’s a beautiful late summer afternoon.

The time is approximately 4:30.

The sun is shining.

Families are out.

Kids are playing in their yards.

People are walking their dogs.

Elderly folks are sitting on their porches enjoying the weather.

It’s a residential neighborhood called Elmwood right here in Providence.

These are working class streets.

These are places where people have lived for generations.

These are communities where neighbors know each other, where kids ride their bikes, where life happens at a human pace.

And into this peaceful scene comes Madison Elizabeth Thornton driving her vehicle.

Not just any vehicle, mind you.

A 2024 Range Rover Sport, white in color.

Rhode Island license plate TH4582.

This vehicle is worth over $120,000.

It’s a powerful machine capable of great speed.

and she’s driving it down Cranston Street between Haskins Avenue and Broad Street at 70 mph.

70 in a 25 mph zone.

Let that sink in for a moment.

The speed limit is 25.

She’s going 70.

That’s not a mistake.

That’s not accidentally pressing the gas pedal a little too hard.

That’s a deliberate choice to drive at nearly three times the legal limit in a residential area where children play.

Now, I’ve been driving for over 50 years.

I know what 70 mph looks like.

On the highway, it’s a normal speed.

But on a narrow residential street, it’s terrifying.

It’s deadly.

At that speed, if a child runs into the street chasing a ball, there’s no time to react.

If an elderly person steps off the curb, there’s no time to stop.

At that speed, the vehicle becomes a weapon.

And Madison Thornon was wielding that weapon through a neighborhood full of innocent people who were just trying to live their lives.

Officer Daniel Martinez, badge number three, 47, an 18-year veteran of the Providence Police Department, spotted her.

He pulled her over at the intersection of Cranson Street and Haskins Avenue at 4:37 p.m.

Now, I want you to imagine being Officer Martinez in that moment.

He’s seen something dangerous.

He’s witnessed someone putting lives at risk.

He’s doing his job, which is to protect and serve the people of Providence.

He approaches the vehicle and according to the police report that’s sitting right here in front of me, case number PR202484582.

When he asks Madison Thornton if she knows why she was being pulled over, she doesn’t express concern.

She doesn’t show remorse.

She doesn’t say, “Oh my god, officer, I’m so sorry.

I wasn’t paying attention.

” No, her exact words, and I’m reading this directly from the report, were, “Do you know who my father is? He owns half the city.

I can have your badge by tomorrow morning.

” When I first read those words, I had to stop.

I put these papers down.

I sat back in my chair.

I closed my eyes, and I thought about what those words represent.

They represent a worldview that I find deeply troubling.

They represent a belief that some people are above the law.

They represent an attitude that says, “My family’s money and power mean I don’t have to face consequences like everyone else.

” They represent a threat to a public servant who is simply doing his job.

And they represent everything that’s wrong with a system that sometimes allows wealth to buy special treatment.

But Officer Martinez, to his enormous credit, remained professional.

He didn’t escalate.

He didn’t let his emotions get the better of him.

He explained to her the serious nature of her violation.

He explained that she was endangering lives.

And do you know what Madison Thornton did? She laughed.

She actually laughed in his face.

Then she took out her iPhone and started recording him, saying she was going to make him famous for all the wrong reasons.

She was trying to intimidate him.

She was trying to humiliate him.

She was trying to use her privilege and her social media platform as a weapon against a man who was protecting her community.

Officer Martinez issued her three citations at 440 9 p.m.

citation numbers 24-884724-8848 and 24-8849 for reckless driving, excessive speeding, and creating a public hazard.

He documented everything properly.

He followed procedure.

He did exactly what a good police officer should do.

And for this, he was mocked, threatened, and disrespected.

But the story doesn’t end there.

And this is where my heart really started to break when I reviewed this case.

After she received her citations, Madison Thornton went home and posted on her Instagram account.

Her username is Madison Thornton.

She has over 40 7,000 followers.

These posts have been submitted as evidence exhibits C through G.

She posted videos mocking officer Martinez.

She made fun of him.

She called him names including rent a cop and powertripping nobody.

She used her platform, her 47,000 followers to try to humiliate a public servant who was simply doing his job.

These posts were made on August 15th at 6:20 p.m.and August 16th at 10:15 a.m.

One video alone received over 12,000 views within 24 hours.

Think about that.

12,000 people watched Madison Thornton mock a police officer who had caught her endangering lives.

12,000 people were exposed to the message that if you have money and influence, you can treat law enforcement with contempt.

12,000 people, many of them probably young, impressionable people, saw that disrespect normalized and even celebrated.

Now, you might think that after getting those citations, after having that encounter with Officer Martinez, after being caught and cited for such dangerous behavior, Massen Thornton would have learned something.

You might think she would have taken a step back, reflected on her actions, maybe talked to her parents, maybe realized that she needed to change her ways.

But no, 3 days later on August 18th, 2024, at 2:15 in the afternoon, she was caught on a Ring doorbell camera.

This camera belongs to Mr.

and Mrs.Richard Coleman at 2:40 7 Haskins Avenue, right in the same Elwood neighborhood.

The video timestamp shows 2:15 p.m.

And there’s Madison Thornon in the same White Range Rover, license plate TH4582, driving recklessly again.

Same behavior, same disregard for human life, same arrogance, as if that citation, as if that warning, as if the law itself meant absolutely nothing to her.

I’ve been doing this job for 32 years.

Since 1992, I’ve sat in this chair in the Providence Municipal Court, and I’ve seen a lot in those three decades.

I’ve seen teenagers who made stupid mistakes because their brains weren’t fully developed yet.

I’ve seen young people who came from difficult circumstances and made bad choices out of desperation or ignorance.

I’ve seen people who genuinely didn’t understand the consequences of their actions until they were explained to them.

And you know what? I’ve done in many of those cases.

I’ve shown mercy.

I’ve given second chances.

I’ve reduced sentences.

I’ve offered community service instead of jail time.

I’ve worked with families to find solutions that would help young people get back on track because I believe in redemption.

I truly do.

I believe that people can change.

I believe that sometimes a kind word, a helping hand, a bit of understanding can turn a life around.

I’ve seen it happen.

I’ve watched young people who stood before me, scared and ashamed, go on to become productive members of society.

I’ve received letters years later from people thanking me for giving them a chance.

That’s one of the greatest joys of this job, knowing that sometimes compassion can plant a seed that grows into something beautiful.

But I also believe in accountability.

I believe that actions have consequences.

And I believe that when someone shows a pattern of behavior that demonstrates a complete and total disregard for the safety of others, for the law, and for basic human respect, then this court has an obligation to act.

An obligation to protect the community, an obligation to send a message that no one, and I mean no one, is above the law.

Now, let me tell you about something else that’s been going on behind the scenes.

Something that troubles me deeply.

Madison Thornton’s father, Robert Thornton, the CEO of Thornton Industries, a man whose company owns 17 commercial properties in downtown Providence, 12 residential developments across Rhode Island, and employs over 230 people, has been trying to use his influence to make this case go away.

Between August 20th and September 5th, I personally received seven phone calls to my chambers.

Seven times people called trying to have a conversation about this case.

I received four written letters.

I had three different people come to my office in person.

City Councilman James Patterson from Ward 3 showed up.

Attorney Michael Brereslin from the firm of Brelin and associates on Westminster Street came by.

Even Samuel Rodriguez, the president of the Providence Chamber of Commerce, paid me a visit.

And what were they all suggesting? They were suggesting that maybe we should work something out, that maybe Madison has learned her lesson, that maybe a substantial donation to the Providence Youth Foundation or the Police Benevolent Association.

They mentioned amounts between 50 and 70, $5,000 might be appropriate.

They were suggesting that perhaps we could make this all go away quietly with a check and a handshake and everyone moving on with their lives.

Let me be crystal clear about something.

And I want everyone in this courtroom and everyone who might watch or read about this case to understand this perfectly.

I don’t care how much money someone has.

I don’t care how many buildings they own.

I don’t care how many people they employ.

I don’t care if they’re willing to donate $50,000 or $500,000 or $5 million.

Money does not buy justice in this courtroom.

Influence does not buy a pass on consequences.

And no amount of donations or deals or backroom arrangements will change what happens here today.

Because here’s what I think about when I look at this case.

I don’t think about Robert Thornton’s for$und00 million company.

I don’t think about Madison’s expensive education or her bright future or her lack of a prior criminal record.

I think about the families in that Elmwood neighborhood.

I think about the parents who heard a car roaring down Cranston Street at 70 m per hour and felt their hearts stop wondering if their child was playing outside.

I think about 72year-old Mrs.

Dorothy Henderson and her husband Frank who’s 74.

Both retired teachers from Hope High School.

Dorothy taught for 35 years.

Frank taught for 38.

They dedicated their lives to educating the children of Providence.

And on August 15th at 4:33 p.m.

they were crossing the street to visit their neighbor Margaret Sullivan who lives at 289 Cranston Street.

They had to jump back onto the curb because Madison Thornton couldn’t be bothered to slow down.

Two elderly people who had given decades of service to this community almost became victims of someone’s reckless arrogance.

I think about all the young people out there who are watching cases like this.

They’re watching to see whether the justice system works the same for everyone or whether it’s different if you have money.

Whether it’s different if your father can make phone calls, whether it’s different if you can afford expensive lawyers and try to intimidate police officers.

And what message do we send to those young people if we let Madison Thornton walk away with a slap on the wrist? And I’ll tell you something else I think about and this keeps me up at night.

I think about what could have happened.

We are very, very fortunate that no one was hurt in these incidents.

But what if there had been? What if 7year-old Emma Rodriguez had been playing in her front yard at 240? One Cranston Street when Madison came flying by at 70 mph.

What if 59year-old Mr.

Thomas Chen, a postal worker who’s been delivering mail in that neighborhood for 22 years, had been getting mail from a mailbox at that exact moment.

What if Mrs.

Henderson, who takes her daily 3:00 walk that she’s been doing for the past 10 years, as her doctor recommended, had been out there? You know, I have grandchildren, seven beautiful grandchildren.

Their ages range from 6 to 16.

My youngest granddaughter, Sophia Mary Caprio, is 6 years old.

She was born on June 8th, 2018.

And when I think about Sophia playing in a neighborhood, when I think about her being outside on a sunny day, riding her bike or playing with her friends, and when I think about someone like Madison Thornton driving 70 mph through that neighborhood with complete disregard for her safety, it makes my blood run cold.

It makes my hands shake.

It makes me realize that we’re not just talking about traffic violations here.

We’re talking about potential tragedy.

We’re talking about lives that could have been lost.

We’re talking about families that could have been destroyed forever.

Now, let me read to you what the prosecutor has recommended.

Assistant District Attorney Sarah Chen, who has been with the Providence District Attorney’s Office for nine years and has handled over 320, seven traffic cases with a conviction rate of 80.

9% is asking for a substantial fine of $10,000, a 2-year license suspension, 150 hours of mandatory community service, and a jail sentence of 90 days.

She believes these measures are necessary to drive home the seriousness of these offenses.

The defense attorney, attorney Jennifer Morrison from Morrison Legal Group on North Main Street, and she’s a good attorney.

I want to say that she’s been practicing criminal defense law for 15 years, graduated from Roger Williams Law School in 2009.

She’s done her job well, is asking for leniency.

She’s pointing out that Madison Thornton has no prior criminal record.

She’s suggesting that a fine of $3,000 and 80 hours of community service would be sufficient.

She’s also mentioned that her client is young, that she graduated from Moses Brown School in 2019 in Boston University in 2023 with a degree in marketing and communications and that a harsh sentence could damage her future career prospects.

I’ve listened to both arguments very carefully.

I’ve reviewed all the evidence multiple times.

I’ve read the police reports.

I’ve studied the social media posts, specifically those Instagram posts from August 15th at 6:202 p.m.

and August 16th at 10:15 a.m.

where Madison posted videos with captions including got pulled over by the most pathetic cop ever.

And seriously, this guy thinks he can mess with me.

I’ve watched the Ring doorbell footage from August 18th at 21 p.m.

showing her vehicle traveling at excessive speeds through the same neighborhood she’d been cited in just 3 days earlier.

I’ve considered the defendant’s age.

I’ve considered her background, her education, her lack of prior offenses.

I’ve considered everything that should be considered in a case like this.

But I keep coming back to something fundamental, something that I think gets lost sometimes in our legal system, something that gets buried under arguments and counter arguments and legal precedents.

We have laws for a reason.

We have speed limits for a reason.

We have consequences for breaking those laws for a reason.

And the reason is simple, beautifully simple.

To protect people, to keep our communities safe.

to ensure that everyone can live without fear of someone’s reckless behavior destroying their lives.

You know what troubles me most about this case? It’s not even the speeding, as serious as that is.

It’s not even the reckless endangerment, though that’s obviously a grave concern.

It’s the attitude.

It’s the arrogance.

It’s the complete lack of understanding that her actions affect other people.

real people with real families and real lives and real dreams and real fears.

When I look at the evidence in this case, when I read that police report from August 15th, when I see those social media posts from her Instagram account with 40 7,000 followers watching, when I watch that Ring doorbell footage from August 18th, I see someone who has been taught, maybe not explicitly by her parents saying the words, but through experience and observation, that consequences don’t apply to them, that they can do what they want, that that their family name or their father’s money will always bail them out.

That rules are for other people, for common people, for people who don’t matter as much.

Well, not today, not in this courtroom, not on my watch, not while I have the authority to ensure that justice is done.

I want to explain something about sentencing because I think it’s important that people understand what judges are trying to accomplish when we hand down these decisions.

When a judge sentences someone, we’re not trying to be cruel.

We’re not trying to destroy lives.

We’re not sitting up here getting some kind of satisfaction from punishing people.

That’s not what this is about.

We’re trying to do several things at once, and it’s a delicate balance.

First, we’re trying to punish the wrongdoing.

Yes, punishment is part of justice.

When someone breaks the law, especially when they endanger others, there needs to be a penalty.

That’s how society maintains order and safety.

Second, we’re trying to deter that person from doing it again.

We’re hoping that the consequence is significant enough that they’ll think twice, three times, a 100 times before they engage in that behavior again.

Third, we’re trying to send a message to others who might be watching.

We’re trying to show that this behavior won’t be tolerated, that if you make these choices, you will face consequences.

And fourth, and this is critically important, we’re trying to protect the community.

We’re trying to keep people safe from those who have shown they’re willing to put others in danger.

In most cases, I can balance these goals with a sentence that’s firm but merciful.

A sentence that punishes, but also offers a clear path to redemption.

A sentence that says, “You made a mistake.

You’re paying for it, and now you have a chance to do better.

” But in this case, we don’t have a single mistake.

We have multiple violations on August 15th and August 18th.

We have a complete lack of remorse demonstrated not just in the moment, but in the days that followed.

We have attempted intimidation of Officer Daniel Martinez, a dedicated public servant.

We have public mockery of law enforcement through social media posts that were viewed by over 12,000 people.

And most troubling of all, we have a repeat offense just 3 days after the first incident.

Just 70, 2 hours after being cited, Madison Thornton was back in the same neighborhood, engaging in the same reckless behavior.

This tells me something very clear.

It tells me that the defendant either doesn’t understand the seriousness of what she’s done or she understands it perfectly well and simply doesn’t care.

Either way, it tells me that anything less than a serious substantial consequence would be a complete failure of this court’s duty to protect the public.

Now, I want to address something directly because I know there are people who will watch what happens here today and they will say, “Judge Caprio is being too harsh.

He’s known for being compassionate.

He’s known for giving people breaks.

He’s the judge who cries with defendants sometimes.

Why is he being so tough in this case? And my answer is simple.

And I want people to really hear this.

Compassion without accountability isn’t compassion at all.

It’s enabling.

It’s allowing bad behavior to continue.

It’s failing in our duty to protect the innocent.

When I give someone a break, when I reduce a sentence, when I show mercy, it’s because I see genuine remorse.

It’s because I see someone who understands what they did wrong and genuinely wants to make it right.

It’s because I see someone who made a mistake but isn’t defined by that mistake.

Someone who wants to grow and change and become better.

But I don’t see any of that here.

What I see is someone who thinks she’s untouchable.

What I see is someone who has shown through her actions on August 15th and August 18th and through her words to Officer Martinez and in her social media posts that she has learned absolutely nothing from this experience except maybe that she needs better lawyers or more connections next time.

Let me address the argument that the defendant has no prior criminal record.

Attorney Morrison mentioned this and yes, it’s true.

Madison Thornton has never been arrested before, never been convicted of any crime.

And normally that would weigh heavily in favor of leniency.

But you know what? Most 23y year olds don’t have criminal records.

That’s not special.

That’s not exceptional.

That’s the bare minimum of being a lawabiding citizen.

We don’t give out awards for not breaking the law up until now.

We don’t celebrate people for only starting to endanger lives at age 20, three instead of at age 18.

I also want to address the argument that she’s young, that she’s only 20, 3 years old, born in 2001, that she’s still learning, that her brain is still developing, that we should give her a chance to grow.

And look, I understand that argument.

I really do.

Young people make mistakes.

They don’t always think about consequences the way more mature adults do.

I get all of that.

I have children and grandchildren.

I remember being young.

I remember making my own mistakes.

But here’s the thing.

At 23 years old, you’re old enough to vote.

You’ve been able to vote since you were 18.

You’re old enough to serve in the military and fight for your country.

You’re old enough to sign legally binding contracts.

You’re old enough to get married and start a family.

And you’re certainly old enough to know that driving 70 mph in a 25 m per hour zone is dangerous.

You’re old enough to know that threatening a police officer is wrong.

You’re old enough to know that mocking someone on social media to your 40 7,000 followers is cruel and inappropriate.

And you’re certainly old enough to know that when you get caught doing something wrong on August 15th, you don’t double down and do it again 3 days later on August 18th.

This isn’t about a young person making an innocent mistake, like forgetting to signal a lane change or accidentally running a stop sign.

This is about someone who has been raised, whether intentionally or not, to believe that rules don’t apply to them.

And unless this court intervenes right now, unless we send a clear and unmistakable message, I fear what might happen next time, because there will be a next time.

People with this attitude, with this level of arrogance and entitlement, they don’t stop until something forces them to stop.

They don’t change until they face consequences so significant that they cannot ignore them.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what justice looks like in this particular case.

I’ve spent hours, literally hours, sitting in my office looking at these documents, thinking about the right thing to do.

I’ve talked to my wife about it.

I’ve prayed about it.

And I’ve come to a conclusion.

Justice in this case isn’t just about punishing Madison Thornon.

It’s about protecting future victims.

It’s about sending a message to every other entitled young person out there who thinks their family name puts them above the law.

It’s about vindicating officer Daniel Martinez’s badge number 34 47 who was just doing his job on August 15th at 4:37 p.m. and was subjected to abuse and humiliation for it.

And it’s about restoring faith in our system.

Faith that maybe has been shaken by too many cases where wealthy defendants walk away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist and a fine they can pay without even noticing the money is gone.

So, here’s what I’ve decided, and I want everyone to understand that I’ve given this more thought than almost any decision I’ve made in recent memory.

I’ve considered every factor.

I’ve weighed every argument from both Assistant District Attorney Sarah Chen and attorney Jennifer Morrison, and I’ve reached a decision that I believe is just proportionate and necessary on the charge of reckless driving from August 15th, 2024, citation number 4-8847.

I’m sentencing you to the maximum penalty allowed under Rhode Island General Law 11-9-1.

That’s 90 days in the adult correctional institutions, the state prison on Howard Avenue here in Cranston, on the charge of attempting to intimidate a law enforcement officer under Rhode Island General Law 11-37-7.

I’m adding another 60 days to be served consecutively, not concurrently.

That means one after the other, not at the same time.

On the additional charge of reckless driving from the second incident on August 18th, 2020 for as documented by the Ring doorbell camera at 240 7 Haskins Avenue.

That’s another 90 days, also consecutive.

That’s a total of 240 days, 8 months.

You will serve this time at the Women’s Division of the Adult Correctional Institutions.

and I’m ordering that there be no early release under the good behavior provisions, no work release program, and no special privileges or accommodations.

You will serve your time like everyone else who sits in that facility.

Your reporting date will be December 2nd, 2020 4 at 9:00 a.m.

In addition, I’m imposing a fine of $15,000 to be paid in full within 60 days of today’s date by January 26th, 2025.

And before anyone says that’s too much or too little, let me explain exactly where this money is going.

It will be divided equally into three parts.

$5,000 will go to the Rhode Island victims of reckless driving fund, which helps families who have lost loved ones or suffered injuries because of drivers like Madison Thornton.

$5,000 will go to the Providence Public Schools Safe Streets Education Program, which teaches children about traffic safety and the importance of following laws.

and $5,000 will go to support the Providence Police Department’s community outreach and training programs, which help officers like Daniel Martinez, do their jobs better and build trust with the communities they serve.

I’m also suspending your driver’s license, Rhode Island license number T5847239 for 3 years, not one year, not 2 years, three full years, beginning today, November 27th, 2024, and ending November 27th, 2027.

And when those three years are up, you will be required to retake both the written examination and the practical road test administered by the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles.

You will be required to complete a comprehensive driver safety course, minimum 30 hours of instruction, and you will be required to perform 200 hours of community service, specifically working with mothers against drunk driving Rhode Island chapter or with families of traffic accident victims at Rhode Island Hospital’s trauma center.

So you can see firsthand the real consequences of reckless driving.

so you can look into the eyes of people whose lives have been destroyed by drivers who thought they were above the law.

Furthermore, I’m ordering that you be prohibited from operating any motor vehicle, even with someone else’s permission, during the entire period of your license suspension from November 27th, 2024 through November 27th, 2027.

If you’re caught driving during this time, if Officer Martinez or any other officer pulls you over, you will face additional criminal charges under Rhode Island General Law 30 1-11-8, and you will face a minimum of an additional 1 year of jail time.

No exceptions, no excuses, no second chances on that particular point.

Now, I can see the shock on faces in this courtroom.

I can feel the tension in the air.

Some of you probably think I’m being too harsh.

Some of you probably think I’m not being harsh enough.

But let me tell you exactly why I’ve made this decision today here in courtroom 3A of the Providence Municipal Court.

Madison Thornton needs to understand, really understand in her bones that her actions have consequences.

Real consequences.

Not consequences that her father’s $400 million company can make disappear.

not consequences that her lawyers can negotiate down to nothing.

Real tangible consequences that will affect her life in profound ways.

Eight months in the women’s division at the ACI is a long time.

It’s long enough to think, really think about what you’ve done.

It’s long enough to be away from your comfortable home on Blackstone Boulevard, away from your friends, away from your Instagram followers, away from all the privileges you’ve taken for granted your entire life.

It’s long enough to understand hopefully what you’ve done.

It’s long enough to hopefully emerge as a changed person, someone who has learned that other people matter, that laws exist for good reasons, that arrogance and entitlement are not virtues, but serious character flaws that need to be corrected.

But it’s not so long that it destroys someone’s life.

She’ll be out by August of 2025.

She’ll still be 24 years old.

She’ll still have her whole life ahead of her.

She can still go back to school if she wants.

She can still build a career.

She can still become a productive member of society.

She can still get married, have children, live a full and meaningful life.

But she needed to learn this lesson.

And she needed to learn it now before her arrogance and recklessness killed someone.

Because make no mistake about it, that’s where this was heading.

It was only a matter of time before her behavior resulted in tragedy.

And I would rather have her sit in the women’s division for eight months being angry at me, being upset about her situation, thinking about what she’s lost than have her spend the rest of her life living with the fact that she killed sevenyear old Emma Rodriguez or 72 year old Dorothy Henderson or anyone else because she thought she was too important to follow the rules that keep us all safe.

The three-year license suspension is designed to be meaningful.

In our society, especially in Rhode Island, where public transportation is limited outside of Providence, driving is often taken for granted.

But it’s not a right.

It’s a privilege.

It’s a privilege that comes with enormous responsibility because when you’re operating a multi-tonon vehicle capable of high speeds, you’re in control of something that can kill people.

And when someone abuses that privilege as egregiously as Madison Thornton has, when they show such complete disregard for the safety of others, they need to lose it for a significant period of time.

3 years is long enough to be inconvenient, to be difficult, to make her think every single day about what she lost and why she lost it.

As for the $15,000 fine and the 200 hours of community service, those are designed to ensure that something positive comes from this negative situation.

That money will help people who have been affected by reckless driving.

It will fund education programs that might save lives.

It will support the police officers who work every day to keep us safe.

And that community service will, I hope, open Madison’s eyes to the real human cost of behavior like hers.

When she works with trauma victims at Rhode Island Hospital, when she sits with families who have lost loved ones to reckless drivers, when she sees the pain and the grief and the permanent damage that one moment of arrogance can cause, maybe, just maybe, she’ll understand what I’m trying to teach her today.

Now, I know what some people are going to say.

They’re going to say that I’m making an example of her because of who her father is.

Because Robert Thornton is the CEO of Thornton Industries, because he tried to use his influence to get special treatment for his daughter.

And you know what? They’re partially right.

I am making an example, but not because of who her father is.

I’m making an example because of who she chose to be.

because of the arrogance she displayed on August 15th at 4:307 p.m.

when she threatened Officer Martinez, because of the contempt she showed for the law and for other people’s lives, because of the danger she posed to innocent people on Cranston Street and Haskins Avenue, people who were just trying to live their lives in peace.

because of those Instagram posts to her 40 7,000 followers where she thought it was funny to mock a police officer for doing his job.

If this had been a first offense, if she had shown genuine remorse on August 15th, if she’d apologized to Officer Martinez with real sincerity, if she hadn’t posted those videos mocking him on August 15th at 6:22 p.m., and August 16th at 10:15 a.m.

If she hadn’t gone out and done it again on August 18th at 2:15 p.m.

, demonstrating that she learned absolutely nothing, then we’d be having a very different conversation right now.

I probably would have given her a fine of maybe two or $3,000, some community service of 50 or 60 hours, maybe a sixmonth license suspension, and sent her on her way with a stern warning and a hope that she’d learned her lesson.

But that’s not what happened.

What happened was a display of arrogance and entitlement that frankly disgusts me.

And I’ve been doing this job since 1990 to 30 two years of watching human nature play out in this courtroom.

And I’ve been doing this too long to pretend that a slap on the wrist is going to change that kind of deeply ingrained attitude.

Sometimes, and I say this with sadness, sometimes people need to face real significant consequences to understand that their actions matter, that other people matter, that the world doesn’t revolve around them.

I want to say something directly to the parents who are watching this case.

Whether you’re here in Providence or watching this on YouTube later or reading about it in the Providence Journal tomorrow, to the fathers and mothers out there who have children, whether they’re young or already grown, please, please, I’m begging you, teach your children, that everyone deserves respect.

That police officers like Officer Martinez are human beings doing a difficult, often dangerous job.

and they deserve to be treated with dignity.

That laws exist to protect us all, not to inconvenience the privileged.

That money and status don’t make you better than anyone else.

They just give you more responsibility to be a good example.

That actions have consequences always, eventually, inevitably.

Because if you don’t teach your children these lessons, if you let them grow up thinking they’re above it all, thinking that your money or influence will always protect them, thinking that rules are for other people, then you’re failing them, you’re setting them up for a very hard fall.

And when that fall comes, when they’re standing in a courtroom like this one, courtroom 3A 20, 5 Doran Street in Providence, facing a judge like me on a day like today, November 27th, 2024.

It’s going to be too late to undo all those years of bad lessons.

I don’t know what kind of parenting led to the behavior I’ve seen in this case from Madison Elizabeth Thornton.

I’m not here to judge Robert and Patricia Thornton’s parenting decisions over the past 23 years, but I will say this, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

If my child had behaved the way this defendant behaved on August 15th and August 18th, if they had spoken to Officer Martinez the way she did, if they had posted those Instagram videos mocking a public servant, I would be ashamed.

I would be heartbroken.

I would be devastated.

And I would absolutely support any consequence that might help them become a better person, even if it meant watching them go to jail for 8 months because I would know that the alternative, letting them continue down this path, could lead to something far worse.

Now, before I close, I want to say something directly to you, Madison Thornton.

You’re 23 years old, born March 12th, 2001.

You’re young.

You have your whole life ahead of you.

This doesn’t have to define you.

8 months from now, around August of 2025, you will walk out of the women’s division of the ACI and you will have a choice to make.

You can choose to be bitter.

You can choose to be angry at me, at Officer Martinez, at the system, at everyone except yourself.

You can choose to blame everyone else for your problems.

Or you can choose to learn from this.

You can choose to understand that you were wrong on August 15th and August 18th.

You can choose to become a better person.

You can choose to use this experience to develop empathy, humility, and respect for others.

You can choose to spend the rest of your life making sure that no one else ever has to go through what could have happened because of your recklessness on Cranston Street.

I hope you make the right choice.

I really truly do because I don’t want to see you back in this courtroom in 5 years, in 2029 or 10 years, in 2030 for facing even more serious charges.

I don’t want to read in the Providence Journal someday that you finally did cuz that accident that you finally did hurt or kill someone and that now you’re facing vehicular manslaughter charges or worse.

I don’t want that for you.

I don’t want it for your family.

And I certainly don’t want it for whatever innocent victim might suffer because you didn’t learn this lesson now.

I want to believe that you can change.

I want to believe that you will change.

But that change has to start with accountability.

It has to start with accepting that what you did on August 15th at 4:30 p.m.

and August 18th at 2:15 p.m.

was wrong.

Not just technically wrong, not just illegal, but morally wrong.

It was dangerous.

It was selfish.

It was arrogant.

And it could have killed people.

This sentence, eight months in the ACI, three years without a license, $15,000 in fines, 200 hours of community service working with victims, isn’t about me being mean or harsh or unfair or vindictive.

It’s about justice.

It’s about protecting the community of Providence, Rhode Island.

And yes, it’s about giving you a wake up call that might just save your life or someone else’s life down the road.

Now, you have the right to appeal this sentence to the Rhode Island Superior Court within 30 days of today, November 27th, 2024.

Attorney Morrison will explain that process to you in detail.

But I want you to know that I’ve been very careful in crafting this sentence to be within the bounds of Rhode Island general law and appropriate to the offenses documented in case number PR 224844582.

I’m confident that it will withstand any appeal because it is just it is proportionate and it is necessary.

I also want to say something directly to Officer Daniel Martinez, badge number 347, who I see is here in the courtroom today.

Officer Martinez, thank you.

Thank you for your service to the Providence Police Department for 18 years.

Thank you for your professionalism in handling a very difficult situation on August 15th at 4:30 7 p.m.

on Cranston Street.

Thank you for not letting Madison Thornon’s behavior, her threats, her attempts to intimidate you, provoke you into doing anything that would have compromised your integrity or your badge.

You remained calm.

You did your job.

You documented everything properly.

You are exactly the kind of police officer we need in this community.

And I want you to know that this court, the Providence Municipal Court, appreciates you.

We see you.

We support you.

and we will not tolerate people trying to intimidate you for doing your job.

To everyone else in this courtroom, whether you’re from Providence, from Rhode Island, or from somewhere else watching this case unfold, I hope this serves as a reminder.

The law applies to everyone.

Justice is blind to wealth, to status, to family connections, to how many buildings your father owns or how many followers you have on Instagram.

In this courtroom, we treat everyone with respect, dignity, and fairness.

But we also hold everyone accountable.

If you’re a young person watching this, whether you’re 20, three, like Madison, or younger or older, learn from it.

Understand that your actions matter.

Understand that the choices you make of consequences that ripple out far beyond yourself.

Understand that no amount of money or privilege will protect you if you endanger others.

If you’re a parent, use this as a teaching moment tonight.

Sit down with your children and talk to them about responsibility, about respect, about the kind of person they want to be in this world.

And if you’re someone who’s been given advantages in life, wealth, opportunity, good education, privilege, whether you’re the child of a CEO like Robert Thornton or anyone else with means and influence, remember that those advantages come with responsibilities, they’re not a license to treat others poorly.

They’re not a shield against consequences.

If anything, they should make you more aware of your obligations to your community and to society.

With great privilege comes great responsibility to be a better person, to set a better example, to lift others up rather than looking down on them.

This court is adjourned.

The defendant, Madison Elizabeth Thornton, will be remanded into custody immediately to begin serving her sentence at the Adult Correctional Institutions Women’s Division with a reporting date of December 2nd, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.

The fine of $15,000 is due by January 26th, 2025.

The license suspension is effective immediately and runs through November 27th, 2027.