Suspected Fitchburg drug dealer sentenced to 60 days for contempt of court

FITCHBURG » Police arrested a city man last week after it was found he was operating an unregistered and unlicensed motorcycle without a driver’s license and was carrying a small quantity of heroin and over $3,700 in cash, according to police and court documents.

On March 23, there were several reports that two men were riding motorcycles in the area of Pacific and Congress streets at a high rate of speed, the reporting officer said.

While one of the motorcyclists was

not found, the officer did make contact with Jose E. Garcia Jr., 18, of Garnet Street, and asked him why the motorcycle didn’t have a license plate and why he didn’t have a valid ID or driver’s license, the officer reported.

Garcia told the officer

he had just bought the motorcycle that had an old title, which didn’t have anyone’s name on it, and he also didn’t have a bill of sale, the officer reported.

Garcia, who was carrying a black fanny pack, was arrested on charges of driving without a license and the officer asked him to hand over the pack, with Garcia initially questioning wheth

er the officer had that authority, the officer reported.

Garcia handed over the bag and when the officer looked inside he found $3,721 in cash and several empty sandwich baggies, before Garcia was taken to station headquarters for booking, the officer reported.

While being booked the pack was examined more closely and 5.53 grams of heroin were found, the officer reported.

At that point, Garcia became loud and refused to cooperate with the booking process, telling the officers that he had ingested a large amount of heroin and that he was suicidal, the officer reported, noting that Garcia was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

Once at the hospital, Garcia became disruptive to the point where he damaged a hospital bed and was screaming profanities at the staff before officers and hospital secu

rity personnel placed him in handcuffs and leg shackles, the officer reported.

After several drug tests were run — all negative — Garcia was transported back the station, the officer reported.

While waiting for his arraignment the next day in district court on charges of possession to distribute a Class A controlled substance, operating without a license and operating an unlicensed and uninsured motor vehicle, Garcia flooded the holding cell in the courthouse and during the proceedings was extremely disruptive and as a result, Judge Christoper LoConto found Garcia in contempt of court and ordered him held for 60 days in the Worcester House of Correction, according to court documents.

It was also noted by the reporting officer that Garcia had warrants for his arrest our of Winchendon

for two counts of carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession to distribute a Class A controlled substance and possession of ammunition without an FID card.

Garcia will return to court on June 22 for a pretrial hearing.

Leominster man arrested on domestic assault, kidnapping and unarmed robbery charges

LEOMINSTER » Police arrested a city man on Monday when his girlfriend alleged that he attacked her, forced her to withdraw cash from her bank account, held her against her will, and intentionally caused a car crash, according to police and court documents.

The victim told police that Robert A. Morales, 22, of 21C Cheryl Drive, forcefully grabbed her hair during an argument, and then demanded she take him to an ATM to

withdraw cash from her account and give it him, forcefully confined her in her own car, and demanded she drive him to Fitchburg against her will, according to the officer’s report of the incident.

And while the woman was driving, he intentionally grabbed the steering wheel and caused the car to crash, the report stated.

As a result of the incident, Morales was charged with domestic assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, vandalizing property, unarmed robbery and kidnapping, according to court documents.

When Morales was arraigned on Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty, but was ordered held in lieu of posting a $2,000 cash bail, which he did, ordered to stay away from the victim and to return to court on April 29 for a pretrial hearing, according to court documents.