CLINTON — On Monday, March 18, 2024, shortly after midnight, Sergeant Joseph Lefebvre of the Clinton Police Department asked Officers Kyle Grady and Gerald Guerra to rapidly convene with him in the Hannaford’s parking lot while they were on patrol.
Shortly thereafter, the officers met with Sgt. Lefebvre in the center of the parking lot, which is located at 333 Brooks Street. As the officers were speaking with one another, a gray 2015 Ford Fusion entered the parking lot through the southern entrance on Brook Street and slowly drove in their direction before coming to a complete stop next to Sgt. Lefebvre’s cruiser.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Grady and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
Sgt. Lefebvre rolled down his driver side window and asked the driver – who was later identified as Jacob Rogers – if he needed any assistance. When Rogers didn’t respond, Sgt. Lefebvre exited his cruiser and approached the passenger side of Rogers’ vehicle.
According to police, Jacob M. Rogers, 31, is a resident of 43 Wickerman Drive in Gardner.
“As Sergeant Lefebvre exited his cruiser, he immediately detected an overwhelming odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from the area, one that was not present prior to the vehicle arriving,” Officer Grady said. “As he approached and the smell of the alcoholic beverage became stronger, he shined his light into the vehicle’s cab and knocked on the window. Again, there was no response from Rogers, who was leaning forward in the driver’s seat.”
Officer Grady noted that Rogers was moving very slowly, but eventually shifted the vehicle into park. He then gradually reached for the keys and removed them from the ignition.
“During this initial interaction, Sergeant Lefebvre took note of several Coors Light beer cans within Rogers’ immediate reach and a bottle of Grey Goose on the front passenger side floor,” Officer Grady said.
Officer Guerra, uncertain about the nature of the interaction, maneuvered his cruiser forward to cast more light into the vehicle’s cab. Meanwhile, Officer Grady stepped out of the cruiser to assist Sgt. Lefebvre.
“As I got closer to the vehicle, the odor of an alcoholic beverage became overwhelming, only getting stronger as I got closer,” Officer Grady said. “Unsure if Rogers was having some sort of medical episode, I opened the driver’s side door. I asked Rogers if he was ok. I did not get a response. Instead, Rogers just looked around with his cell phone in his hand. His eyes were half open as if he was squinting. I again asked what he was doing and if he was ok. Rogers responded unintelligibly; I was not able to understand a single word he said.”
Officer Grady continued to inquire about Rogers’ health, if he knew where he was, and what he was doing.
“I was unable to obtain any information from Rogers during this initial conversation, as he spoke with an extremely thick tongue,” Officer Grady said. “He had difficulty piecing letters together to form coherent sentences and continued to display slow and deliberate movements as he sat there. At this time, I took note of a Coors Light can in the cup holder directly next to where Rogers was seated. Sergeant Lefebvre later reported that the beer can was half full and cold to the touch.”
Officer Grady said that at one point, Rogers put one of his legs out of the driver’s side door in an attempt to get out of the vehicle.
“I instructed him to stay seated so we can figure out what was going on,” Officer Grady said. “He then looked at his iPhone and tried scrolling through text messages, and then his GPS, which was on. I again asked where he was going. Rogers responded with an entire sentence, but the only word I was able to understand was, ‘Gardner,’ where he resides.”
Officer Grady said that Rogers was wearing a button-up collared shirts which only had the two middle buttons latched. The zipper of his jeans was also down.
“Rogers then looked at me and asked why I was there,” Officer Grady said. “I took note that his eyes were still half open, but could see that they were extremely bloodshot and glassy as if they were irritated. I advised him that he drove up to us and that I was trying to figure out what he was doing. Rogers again tried getting out of the vehicle, but displayed poor coordination and balance. At that time, based on the overwhelming odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from the vehicle and his person, the open containers of alcoholic beverages in the vehicle and his slurred speech, I formed the opinion that Rogers was under the influence of an intoxicating liquor and that his ability to operate a motor vehicle safely was impaired. Rogers was advised he was being placed under arrest.”
Rogers was handcuffed and escorted to the rear of Officer Grady’s cruiser.
“During this escort, Sergeant Lefebvre and I each held Rogers by one arm as he had difficulty keeping his balance,” Officer Grady said. “Once in the cruiser, I read Rogers his Miranda warnings from a card that I carry on my person. Rogers was subsequently transported back to the Clinton Police Station for booking.”
Officer Grady reported that during transport, Rogers became “a little more intelligible” and explained that he had been out to dinner with a friend that evening and was on his way back to Gardner when the police intercepted him.
“He stated he was doing the right thing by pulling over to use his GPS,” Officer Grady added.
During the booking process at the Clinton Police Station, Officer Guerra conducted an inventory of Rogers’ property and located a small clear baggy in the corner of his wallet.
“Also located was a tightly folded dollar bill. When unfolded, there was a white powdery substance within. Based on my training and experience, I believe this substance to be cocaine, with a weight of approximately one gram. Based on my training and experience, drug users will use items, such as folded currency, for transporting drugs and concealing from police detection,” Officer Grady said. “For the safety of myself and other officers present, I asked Rogers what the substance was. Rogers apologized, stating, ‘I honestly forgot that was in there.’ He then stated, ‘It’s probably cocaine.’ Rogers was then brought in to complete the booking process. While standing to take a photo, Rogers tripped on his own foot nearly falling to the ground.”
Rogers refused a breathalyzer.
“During booking, Rogers continued to say he was just, ‘doing the right thing,’” Officer Grady recounted. “Rogers stated he pulled over to sleep instead of driving. He then stated he pulled the keys out of the ignition, so he was not driving. At the completion of booking, Rogers was issued his Notice of Suspension for a Chemical Test Refusal form in hand and advised of his license suspension.”
Rogers was formally charged with the following:
- Operating a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Intoxicating Liquor
- Open Container Violation
- Possession of Class B (Cocaine)
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from March, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.
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