Police Notebook
By BobGates
Thursday, March 10, 2005
http://www2.townonline.com/beverly/l...ticleid=200723

Lucky bust


Beverly police detective Sgt. Michael Cassola happened upon a drug deal while investigating an unrelated vandalism case, at a Gardner Street home on Monday, March 7.


Cassola happened to look out the window to see two men conducting what appeared to be a "hand-to-hand" drug deal in the parking lot behind an Essex Street convenience store. He intervened.


Cassola arrested Robert Bencal, 20, of 3 Beech St., Hamilton, the alleged drug dealer, and charged him with distribution of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to violate drug laws.


The alleged buyer, Dale Leavitt, 20, of 104 Lafayette St., Salem, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and conspiracy to violate drug laws.


In an interview with police, the men said they chose the convenience store parking lot because it was a midway point between their two homes. Also seized from Bencal by police during the arrest was six, 1/4 ounce bags of marijuana, one, 2 ounce bag of marijuana, an electric scale and a list of customers and the amounts of money they owed.


Escape thwarted


A man who fled Beverly last year after being arrested on drug charges was caught in Brooklyn, N.Y. this week, police said.


Isaias S. Ortiz, 41, who lists his address as both 5 Mill St. and 34 Grant St., fled to his brother's house while free on bail before being arraigned last September.


"He had fled the charges we had on him," said detective Thomas Nolan Jr., who traveled to Brooklyn with a Massachusetts state trooper to get Ortiz, Monday, March 7.


He was originally arrested by Beverly police on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2004 near Beverly Depot along with Frank D. Raffa Jr., 21, of Hale Street, who was charged with conspiracy to violate drug laws, drug possession with the intent to distribute and failure to stop for police.


In September, police charged Ortiz with second offense distribution of heroin because he had previously served in Massachusetts and New York on similar charges. He was also charged with distribution of heroin within 100 feet of a public park, conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession of a hypodermic needle. He's now also facing a fugitive from justice charge.


New York City police had arrested Ortiz for another reason and discovered the outstanding warrant. They contacted Beverly police, who went to New York to get him on Monday, March 7. He waived extradition in New York and was brought back to the Essex County Correctional Center in Middleton.


Cocaine dealers caught


Two alleged cocaine dealers were arrested on McKay Street last week as part of an ongoing drug investigation.


Police said they stopped a blue BMW 326i near the intersection with Matthies Street after it ran a red light at McKay and Elliott streets. When they went to conduct a field sobriety check on the driver, they saw a white powdery substance on the console. The passenger tried to wipe it away when police spotted it.


The driver, Justin Paul Kingston, 26, of Woburn was arrested and charged with trafficking cocaine, conspiracy to violate drug laws, drug violation in a school zone and failure to stop or yield.


His passenger, Aaron S. McGee, 24, of Salem, was arrested and charged with cocaine trafficking, possession of cocaine, drug violation in a school zone and conspiracy to violate drug laws. He was found to have marijuana and about $300 in his pocket at the time of his arrest.


Later, in a search of the car, police said they found a ball of cocaine about the size of a baseball, in a hallowed out area in the car's center console. Neither man was armed at the time of their arrest, police said.


Both men face a minimum of five years in jail, plus an additional two years for the school zone violations.


Marijuana arrest made


A New Balch Street man was arrested last week for allegedly driving with an open container of alcohol and possessing marijuana.


Jesse E. Fellows, 27, was stopped by police on Saturday, March 5, at 10 p.m., in front of his home for not stopping at a red light. Police then allegedly found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the center console of his Jeep and an open container of Harpoon beer. In addition to motor vehicle violations, he was charged with possession of marijuana and having an open container of beer in a car.

Why can't satellites just pick out areas where marijuana and cannabis grow and we simply prevent their off-farm movement? I have never understood why that robed and bearded stooge named Karzai who runs Kabul, cannot be brought to heel by Washington. He surely owes the American people a favor to stop cultivating the devastating stuff on his soil!

wow this is completly true. I also agree that we will not have to spend time and money when it comes to arrest of individuals that have been brought to the point of feeling that have to sell marijuana for money reasons, if we stop just the general growth of it in other areas therefore it will not be able to travel to dealers. Police make such a big deal and feel so proud of arresting certian people, yet how much time and money in the end does it add up to, and should/could this money be better off being used in more extreem cases VS marijuana cases which could be stoped otherwise? Where one dealer is off the street, another one comes on. Its just so continuous and while some learn, mostly bc of extreem spending they have to do for lawyers etc. and becasue of family issues which may arise from an arrest, overall i feel if its able to be stoped in one main area, it will overall lessen the amount of distribution here.

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