PROVIDENCE, RI — A former Providence police officer is facing criminal charges following a crash involving a Rhode Island state trooper and two police K9s in a marked cruiser earlier this month. Stephen W. Kennedy, 31, of Cranston, is accused of recklessly driving under the influence and had fentanyl and a gun in his vehicle at the time of the crash, police said.

The crash happened around 11 p.m. on Feb. 4. According to state police, Trooper Daniel O'Neil had just finished a traffic stop on Interstate 95 North in Warwick when he pulled over on the grassy median just north of the Airport Connector. Kennedy, who was off-duty and driving a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee, veered off the highway, crashing into O'Neil's marked cruiser. Two state police K9s, Ruby and Coda, a trainee on a ride along, were in the vehicle at the time, and were taken to a nearby animal hospital to get checked out.

Following an investigation into the crash, police believe Kennedy was intoxicated at the time of the crash, saying he was driving recklessly and showed signs of impairment at the scene. He also had a gun and an unspecified amount of fentanyl in his possession at the time.