PROVIDENCE — Former state police Supt. Steven Pare will testify today in Superior Court, Providence, about the orders he received before he directed troopers to raid a Narragansett Indian smoke shop in July 2003.

Judge Susan E. McGuirl has asked Pare to testify about “what, if any, conversations and orders he received” leading up to the July 14, 2003, raid as part of an evidentiary hearing intended to shape the criminal trial of seven Narragansetts arrested that day. The judge said she expected questions put to Pare to be “concise and to the topic.”

State police stormed the roadside smoke shop on tribal land in Charlestown, at Governor Carcieri’s orders, to stop the tribe from selling cigarettes without charging Rhode Island taxes. The police were acting on a state-court-issued search warrant when they met stiff resistance from tribal members in a widely televised, violent clash. Seven adult tribal members — including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas — and one juvenile were arrested on charges including obstruction, resisting arrest and simple assault.

Now those cases are approaching a September or October trial. (The charges against the juvenile were dismissed.)

McGuirl is considering motions from prosecutors and the defense, including whether Carcieri will be asked to testify. One of the lingering issues the Narragansetts’ lawyers have raised is what limitations might have been placed on the orders to execute the search warrant.

Carcieri insisted publicly in the days after the raid that state police had specific instructions from him to avoid conflict if they met any resistance. Lawyers for the state have objected to the governor being called to the stand.

The state plans to call 30 witnesses over 7 to 10 days during the trial, McGuirl said. The defense is expected to present another 25 to 30. The judge ruled Friday that the defendants would be tried together.

McGuirl yesterday instructed the lawyers to have all editorial comments and repetition edited out of television news footage they planned to present to jurors. She said she would set a trial date by the end of the week.

When asked whether the tribal members would consider reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors, William P. Devereaux, representing the tribal members, said: “The tribe obviously has to be concerned about limited resources. At this juncture, it appears it’s going to trial.”

The tribal members have pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges.

kmulvane@projo.com