ABOVE HN PHOTO: Vehicle with two flat tires on Phinney’s Lane, where a woman was arrested for drunk driving Sunday evening. INSERT: Barnstable Police booking photo of Rafaela Vieira De Aquino, arrested on Sunday evening, October 5, 2025. INSERT: “Most of this information is completely wrong,” part of over 12 messages and phone calls to Hyannis News from 508-360-xxxx and an Instragram account named “Rafaa Aquino.”

BARNSTABLE, MASSACHUSETTS – In an article entitled “Woman Arrested for OUI in Barnstable After Police Find Vehicle with Two Flat Tires,” published on Monday, October 6, 2025, Hyannis News reported that a Barnstable Police Sergeant was checking on a disabled vehicle on Phinney’s Lane this past Sunday evening, where a woman identified as Rafaela Vieira De Aquino, 30, of Marstons Mills, would eventually be arrested for allegedly Operating a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Liquor. According to police reports, De Aquino was extremely uncooperative with officers during the entire drunk driving investigation and booking process.

Just hours after the publication of the aforementioned article, HN began receiving over 12 messages and phone calls from 508-360-xxxx and an Instragram account named “Rafaa Aquino.” The messages were in Portuguese and English, some reading, “I don’t want my information on the internet” “And it’s wrong” “Please delete my information which some of the info r wrong.” One of the longer text messages contained a Portuguese translation reading, “A suspeita identificada como Rafaela Viera De Aquino, 30, de Marstons Mills supostamente não cooperou durante a investigação de OUI e se recusou a participar dos testes de sobriedade em campo, segundo fontes,” which in English means, “The suspect, identified as Rafaela Vieira De Aquino, 30, of Marstons Mills, was allegedly uncooperative during the OUI investigation and refused to participate in field sobriety tests,” referring to part of the initial HN article. Part of the text message was underlined. And it was unclear what the texter wanted, so HN attempted to call the caller/texter back and got no answer… eventually receiving another text reading, “Most of this information is completely wrong. Please disregard it. Appreciate it. Ty.”

Still confused, HN texted, “What parts are wrong? The police are saying [the suspect was] driving drunk. Is that not true?” As of the time of this report, HN has received no response to the attempt to clarify.

An excerpt from a police report regarding the October 5, 2025, incident, submitted by Sergeant Kyle Phelan of the Barnstable Police Department, is as follows:

“I approached the passenger side of the vehicle and observed a lone female operator, later identified as Rafaela Vieira De Aquino (De Aquino). I observed her to be awkwardly sipping from a bottle of water as I initially approached and appeared to have a blank look on her face. I was also able to see at this time the vehicle had two flat front tires. When I asked her about the flat tires she seemed to not believe me and kept pointing to her speedometer. I could smell a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the vehicle and her person and observed her to have bloodshot, glassy eyes. I instructed De Aquino to shut the car off and she instead shifted the car, I feared she was attempting to leave and tried to reach in to grab the gear shift and instructed her again to shut the car off. De Aquino shut the car off as I walked to the driver side door. I asked De Aquino how much she had to drink tonight and she pointed straight ahead and stated something to the effect of “I live right there” after looking at me with a confused look. NOTE: De Aquino’s RMV address is [xx] Willington Avenue in Marstons Mills, MA, nowhere near the motor vehicle stop. Ptl. Gustafson arrived at this time and De Aquino’s driver door was opened and I again asked what was going on. De Aquino stated something about being at work and then a party. When De Aquino spoke her speech was thick and slurred and she was mumbling at times. I again asked De Aquino about the damage on her vehicle. De Aquino then turned the vehicle on again unprompted. Ptl. Gustafson and I then had De Aquino exit the vehicle, I feared that she was a danger to herself, officers on scene, and the public if she continued to sit in the vehicle. De Aquino appeared to be completely oblivious to the damage to her vehicle and I believed she had no business operating a vehicle based on her condition. As she exited I had to support her momentarily to prevent her from stumbling and she braced herself on her vehicle…”

Sergeant Phelan’s report mentioned that De Aquino refused performing field sobriety test, saying, “they don’t want me to do that.” [NOTE: HN has learned that this past Sunday was not De Aquino’s first drunk driving arrest on Cape Cod, according to documents filed in Barnstable District Court.] Sergeant Phelan’s report also mentions that De Aquino was “completely uncooperative” during the booking process at Barnstable Police Headquarters. A “refusal for the breath test” was entered during the booking process and a notice of her license being suspended was stored with her personal property.

Excerpts from a supplemental police report filed on October 6, 2025, by Lieutenant Jason Laber of the Barnstable Police Department describes officers having difficulty “with a female under arrest for OUI:”

“… She vehemently refused to cooperate with officers and was combative/argumentative during the process.”

“… At 0030 hrs Vieira De Aquino threw water throughout her cell, causing me to have to shut off the plumbing to the cell. At 0140 hrs., Vieira De Aquino removed her underwear and squatted on the floor to urinate.”

In a Yarmouth Police report from July 2022, Patrolman Christopher Cheverie describes a drunk driving arrest where a swerving vehicle had reportedly been unable to stay within marked lanes:

“I approached the vehicle and identified the operator to be the registered owner Rafaela Vieira De Aquino. Rafaela appeared to be extremely disoriented while speaking with her. Rafaela’s movements were extremely slow, and she appeared confused. When asked for her license Rafaela slowly began to search in her purse and then stopped and appeared as if she had forgot what she was looking for. Rafaela then found her license and stared at it for several seconds before handing it to me. I could smell a strong odor of intoxicating liquor emanating from the vehicle. Rafaela’s eyes appeared to be bloodshot and glossed over. I then asked Rafaela where she was coming from and she stated from a party at a friend’s house. When asked if she had anything to drink tonight Rafaela stated that she had only eaten cake. Rafaela then repeated this statement several more times. Rafaela’s speech was very slow and slurred at times…”

During the July 16, 2022 traffic stop, Patrolman Cheverie would end up arresting De Aquino for OUI Liquor, Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle, and Marked Lanes Violation. A refusal of the breath test was marked down during the booking process because, “Rafaela was extremely uncooperative and refused to properly blow.”

De Aquino was expected to be arraigned on the new drunk driving charges this past Monday, October 6, 2025, in Barnstable District Court. No further details were available at the time of this report…

HN reminder: All defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

P.S. – Today’s Hytown Vignette is a brought to you by R.L. Burnside…

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