October, 2009

Trooper Dan Sheehan (SP-Russell) was assisting a disabled motorist on a local road in Westfield one recent mid shift when he noticed a vehicle approaching him and the DMV without any working headlights. Dan waved his flashlight and signaled the vehicle to stop as it passed the DMV and his fully-activated cruiser in the roadway, and the vehicle initially slowed down and appeared to be stopping, as Dan made eye contact with the driver and his passenger. The vehicle then abruptly punched the gas and took off into downtown Westfield around the same time as the local bars were getting out and the usual crowds of drunk college kids normally stumble their way through the streets. With the vehicle bee-lining it towards this same area, Tpr Sheehan jumped into his sled and took off after the car, attempting to keep up with it as it ducked down local side roads and eventually careening off the road behind an apartment complex and back out into the downtown area. Tpr Sheehan followed the dust clouds and found the vehicle now stopped at a red light bearing a Massachusetts dealer plate. Tpr Sheehan quickly ordered the operator out and secured him in handcuffs before he could pull another disappearing act. A strong odor of booze wafted into the troopers face as he opened the truck’s door, and the driver’s slurred speech and bloodshot eyes didn’t help his case either. Now in custody for failing to stop for a police officer, back at the barracks field sobriety tests were offered during booking, and failed. The second offense drunk driver registered a blood alcohol content of just under three times the legal limit.
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Trooper Jeff Roberts (SP-Russell) was out cruising the local roads of Westfield the next week around 8pm when he stopped a truck he observed weaving over the fog lines several times. Conversation with the operator revealed prior drinking, as well as other indicators of impairment. Exit orders followed, and the operator complained about several injuries and medical problems that may prevent him from being able to perform the tests . The driver instead offered the trooper an alternative to the tests by simply allowing him to drive the few hundred yards further down the road to his residence. The trooper declined the quick resolution option, and tests were conducted after the trooper ensured the operator that if he could work all day as an arborist, he could surely walk a few feet and stand on one foot for a few seconds. This proved a self-confidence boost for our wayward, drunk motorists and tests were conducted. Following an “F” grade on the tests, he was placed under arrest for OUI-Liquor and would later register a blood alcohol level of just under twice the legal limit. Charges of OUI-THIRD OFFENSE and Negligent Operation were logged into the SP-Russell arrest journal.

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Trooper Mike Perry of Crime Scene Services Section examines a window at a Breaking and Entering that occurred in the Town of Cheshire.

Earlier in the fall, the Route 91 narcotics vacuum Trooper Brendan Shugrue was cruising the highway in Whatley when he came upon a vehicle tailgating the car infront of it for no particular reason. The left lane was open, and this area is not particularly known for it’s traffic congestion. Trooper Shugrue stopped the tailgater and asked him why he didn’t just go around the car in front of him. The operator then expressed his concern that the car in front of him was swerving, so he didn’t want to pass it. Along with the explanation, he was unable to produce a valid license. Trooper Shugrue performed a check of the driver’s license status, which revealed it to be REVOKED due to a breath test failure from several years ago. The operator was removed from the vehicle where he was advised he was going to be summonsed for the revoked license charge.. At this time, Trooper Shugrue recalled arresting this same gentleman earlier this year. Trooper Chris Lenney arrived to assist, and a tow was called for the vehicle, and an inventory was conducted, where the trooper located a check-book type cardboard box under the passenger seat. Inside the box…exactly 280 heat sealed baggies of suspected heroin, ready for street level drug sales. The passenger and driver were taken into custody for Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin…all this from following too close!
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Trooper Brian Gladu (K-9 WEST) and his good buddy Dash later sniffed through the car, locating no more drugs, but one hypodermic needle stuffed under a seat…which our wayward motorist neglected to mention to any trooper on scene when he was asked if there was anything sharp or dangerous in the car. Since possessing a hypodermic needle for no good reason is no longer a crime, it was left inside the vehicle with the rest of the rat’s possessions…for the next police officer that searches the car. Since the recent legislative act that deemed possessing a hypodermic needle no longer a dangerous crime, maybe these same legislators can pony up the funds to purchase each and every police officer in the Commonwealth a set of needle-proof gloves? They may not be dangerous while you’re safely tucked away in your suburban colonial at 0200hrs, but to the family of Trooper Drew Chandler, these items proved to be a little more dangerous than politicians think. While this author was in diapers, Trooper Chandler was searching a vehicle for drugs and was pricked by one of these, which ultimately cost him his life several years later due to the illnesses contracted from the infected needle. Were his widow and three children invited in to witness this new law being signed?
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Sgt Chris Sanchez (Accident Reconstruction) was traveling south on Route 91 in Springfield in his marked Ford Explorer when he observed a car pass his truck at 80MPH in a posted 55MPH zone, apparently oblivious to the STATE POLICE emblems emblazoned all over his Recon truck. He clocked the vehicle for a distance at about the same speed then attempted to stop the vehicle, which took it’s sweet time for several hundred yards, with the operator making noticeable movements as if he was moving something around in the vehicle while he delayed pulling his car over. After he finally stopped, the Sergeant got on his PA and ordered the operator to put his keys on the hood, fearing the operator may take off again as soon as he got out of his cruiser. After several attempts to get the operator to do this, keys finally came out and the sergeant approached the vehicle. Tpr Mike Chapdelaine (K-9 West) happened to be in the area, and arrived to assist as continued nervous banter from the driver made Sgt Sanchez concerned for his safety regarding what the driver may have been trying to hide. The operator was removed, and as the Sgt peered inside the vehicle he observed a black glove tucked between the driver’s seat and the center console…with a plastic baggie tucked into the glove. In the baggie was a huge chuck of a white substance appearing to be cocaine. A more thorough search of the car was conducted where he located another quantity of the same substance. An amount of Marijuana was located, as well as an open container of vodka. The wayward speeder was taken into custody for Trafficking Cocaine and booked at SP-Springfield.
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Trooper Dan Pinkham was cruising Route 91 during a recent OUI Enforcement Patrol in the area. After observing a truck cross over the fog line and over a rumble strip, he stopped the vehicle to ensure the operator was sober. After observing indications of possible impaired operation, the operator was asked to step from the vehicle to determine sobriety. While passing some tests and failing others, the trooper became concerned the operator may be under the influence of something other than alcohol, and discussed with the operator these concerns. Statements of recent drug problems led to Trooper Pinkham to request written consent to check the vehicle for any drugs. After this was granted, the trooper the car and located a crack pipe in the door, as well as a quantity of crack cocaine in the truck that led to an arrest for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute, as a subsequent offense.
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Trooper Eric French (SP-Northampton) was upping his tally of daytime OUI-Liquor arrests with a recent pinch on Route 91 in Holyoke during the morning commute. While running LIDAR, he stopped a vehicle after he observed it traveling 83MPH. While speaking with the operator and passengers, a distinct odor of the evil herb was wafting from the window, and the passengers fessed up to the weed in the car and forked over a bag of the green stuff when asked. Trooper Americo Dilorenzo arrived shortly afterward to assist Trooper French, and the driver was removed from the vehicle. During conversation about the weed, Trooper French noticed a smell of booze on the driver’s breath and learned he was coming from a late night partying at UMass. Field Sobriety Tests were administered, and “not passed”, leading to an arrest for OUI-Liqour. The weed would be logged into the narcotics locker, to take up valuable and limited space until the non-criminal case is disposed of. The morning commute drunk would register a blood alcohol level of .13 during booking at SP-Northampton.
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Later than month, Trooper French was cruising Route 91 one afternoon when he took a call from the desk officer reporting an erratic operator in the area. He took up a stationary post in the breakdown lane and shortly afterward observed the same car pass his cruiser. He made his own observations of the vehicle weaving into the breakdown lane and stopped the car. During conversation with the driver, he detected booze breath present, and cut right to the chase by asking the driver if he was drunk. The driver would then respond to the question with a question…”Am I drunk?” Trooper French tried to explain what he meant by the question, and elaborated by asking the confused driver when the last time he drank alcohol was. The driver quickly replied that he stopped drinking the evening prior, when he urinated in his friend’s bed.. Exit orders followed, and field sobriety tests failed. The drunk driver was placed under arrest and transported to SP-Northampton, where at 2 o’clock in the afternoon he would register a blood alcohol content of just under twice the legal limit.
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Trooper Robert Church (SP-Springfield) was cruising Route 291 looking for ne’er-do-wells on a recent mid shift when he observed a car take an on ramp onto the highway infront of him doing what appeared to be about 30MPH over the posted limit. He attempted to catch up the car and clock it’s speed, unsuccessfully as it blasted down the highway onto Route 91, weaving in and out of the marked lanes in the process. The trooper eventually caught up the car, where he activated his lights and sirens attempting to stop the car. The car instead took off down the highway and a pursuit was initiated as the trooper attempted to keep up with the fleeing car. He observed it duck down an off ramp onto a local road in Springfield where it eventually failed to negotiate a turn and crashed into the curb, spinning the vehicle around and narrowly missing a car parked at intersection waiting for the light to change. The operator jumped out of his wrecked car and fled on foot, with Trooper Church catching up to him on foot and eventually subduing the fleeing suspect with the assistance of a dose of OC Spray and assistance to the ground with fancy 77th RTT defensive tactics maneuvers.. The operator continued sruggling with the trooper unsuccessfully as his hands were brought behind his back and handcuffs applied. Due to the OC Spray, Trooper Church requested EMS respond to the scene to decontaminate his prisoner, leading to a transport to a local emergency room. The driver that decided it would be a better idea to run from the police now faces charges including Operating under the Influence of Alchol, Revoked License, Negligent Operation, Resisting Arrest and a slew of other civil infractions.
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Trooper Dan Pinkham was monitoring traffic on Route 91 in February when he stopped a vehicle heading northbound for several defective equipment-related violations. During conversation with the operator and passenger, the trooper noticed paraphernalia on the floor of the car consistent the use of crack cocaine. The visibly nervous passenger and operator provided their information and the trooper returned to his cruiser to check their info. Queries through recent court records would reveal a drug charge history for the female passenger, leading to the trooper to ask the operator for consent to check the vehicle for narcotics. The operator consented to the search, as Trooper Brian Pearl arrived to assist. The nervous male passenger was removed from the vehicle and a search was conducted, leading to a small amount of a substance believed to be cocaine found in a pack of cigarettes. With another package of suspected cocaine located in a different area, both the passenger and driver were placed under arrest for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute. Trooper May Pekarski arrived to assist Trooper Pinkham and transported the female operator SP-Northampton for processing.
During booking, Trooper Pinkham contacted the Vermont State Police to gather any intelligence they may have on his new friends. Our brothers in green would report to Trooper Pinkham that they are familiar with the female driver, but they had no information on the passenger. Conversation with the arrested passenger during booking would produce a different name than the one he originally stated, revealing an active arrest warrant for Assault and Battery and a fresh new charge of Furnishing a False Name.
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Trooper Pinkham was out and about later that month cruising Route 91 in Whatley when he stopped a vehicle for defective equipment. As he spoke with the driver and passenger, he noticed visibily nervous behavior of both subjects, including the passengers speech so nervously stammered that she could barely spit out the location they were traveling from. Trooper Pinkham requested another cruiser to the scene while he completed the appropriate civil citations back in his cruiser and couldn’t focus his attention on the shifty occupant’s of the car he had stopped. Trooper Brendan Shugrue and Trooper Maureen Glynn arrived to assist. While observing the passengers, Troper Shugrue spotted packaging material on the floor mat in front of the passenger consistent with drug packaging. As the passenger was asked to step out, more packaging material materialized on the floor and seat. Trooper Brian Gladu and his K-9 Dash arrived to check the vehicle, where the dog quickly alerted to a handbag the female passenger left on the seat. Out from the bag came 40 bags of Heroin , as well as Trooper Gladu’s recurring problem with running into hypodermic syringes during searches. Under what reasoning our own state’s legislature used to determine these things are not a clear and present danger to police officers is beyond this author’s understanding.
Trooper Glynn seized the heroin and placed the female under arrest. A more detailed search revealed that the occupants of the vehicle were apparently in the middle of cooking and shooting up heroin while traveling up Route 91 in Whately back to Vermont. All three occupants of the car were taken into custody for Conspiring to Violate the Controlled Substance Act. Back at SP-Northampton, Trooper Glynn would locate even more unused, packaged heroin secreted in the woman’s undergarments.
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Trooper Pinkham was it again putting a dent in the transportation of drugs in vehicles with defective equipment when he stopped a vehicle with an extremely loud exhaust on Route 91. The out of state operator was determined to have a suspended driver’s license, and was placed under arrest for that offense. Trooper David Stucenski (K-9 WEST) arrived to assist and conducted an inventory of the vehicle prior to it being towed, since the passenger was also unlicensed. Trooper Stucenski located a medical type bag in the back seat containing a total of 229 bags of heroin. Trooper Stucenski also located a Hypodermic Needle in the same bag, but that’s not against any law, and police officers shouldn’t worry about petty things like that. Trooper William Loiselle was on scene to assist and transported one of the occupants to SP-Northampton for booking while Trooper Pinkham stood by with his prisoner awaiting the tow, both in custody for Possession of Heroin with Intent to Distribute.
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Trooper Pinkham was once again out hammering the highways of SP-Northampton one evening when he stopped a car with defective equipment heading north with Vermont plates. The visibly nervous and profusely sweating driver produced his license when asked, and a subsequent license check revealed it to be suspended. The operator was removed from the vehicle and placed under arrest, and with none of the other passengers in the car having valid licenses, a tow was requested. Trooper Adam Mathieu arrived to assist and an inventory of the vehicle was conducted while he had the passenger seated in the rear of his cruiser. While checking the car, the trooper located a Hypodermic Needle cap under the passenger seat. After carefully checking the rest of the car hoping not to get poked, he located a prescription pill bottle in the car that didn’t belong to anyone in the car, with a white powder residue inside it. Trooper Mathieu returned to his cruiser and the passenger stepped out, and now located an uncapped hypodermic syringe on the back seat of his cruiser under where the passenger was sitting. With obvious residue visible inside the needle, the passenger was placed under arrest for possession of a class A substance.

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