LEOMINSTER — On Monday, November 4, 2024, at approximately 4:20 p.m., Officer Johangel Lorenzo of the Leominster Police Department was conducting an area check along the Twin Cities Rail Trail when he observed two men making a “hand exchange.”
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Lorenzo and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“Based on my training and experience, I recognize that quick hand exchanges often indicate drug-related activity,” Officer Lorenzo said. “Two male individuals were observed along the rail trail near the Erdman Way entrance, an area with a homeless encampment. It is important to note that this section of the rail trail is known for illegal activity, including drugs, suspicious activities, and assaults, that I have investigated within the past couple of months.”
Officer Lorenzo said that as he approached the two men, he “confronted” the recipient of the “hand exchange” and asked him what it was about.
“I noticed him receiving the hand exchange and stuffing it into his front right pocket,” Officer Lorenzo said. “He responded suspiciously, insisting that he hadn’t been handed anything. In conversation with him, he wanted to demonstrate that he had nothing illegal and emptied his pockets. When he emptied his front right pocket, all that was found was approximately $100 in cash. He claimed that the hand exchange involved a marijuana cigarette that was given to him along with the money. It is worth noting that this individual appeared very nervous and handed me his ID.”
Officer Lorenzo said that the other party – later identified as Marc Castriotta – had gone to the homeless encampment while the officer was speaking with the recipient of the hand exchange.
“Upon returning from the campsite, Marc handed me his ID and cooperated when I inquired about the suspicious activity,” Officer Lorenzo said. “He admitted to giving money to the other male party for a reason unrelated to drugs. However, he also confessed to having a bag of marijuana in his possession. With their IDs in hand, I ran both parties through dispatch, which confirmed that Marc Castriotta had an active warrant.”
According to police, Marc A. Castriotta, 50, is a resident of 292 Main Street, Townsend, MA.
“Officer [Jonathan] Ramos arrived at the scene to assist with the warrant arrest,” Officer Lorenzo said. “We managed the situation professionally by informing Marc about his warrant, placing him in handcuffs, and ensuring they were secure then double locked. We then conducted a thorough search, based on our policies and procedures, prior to arrest.”
Officer Ramos then transported Castriotta to the Leominster Police Department for booking.
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During their search of Castriotta, police located a glass pipe with burnt tips, which Officer Lorenzo recognized as a type of pipe commonly used to smoke crack cocaine.
“Officer Ramos also mentioned that Marc had concealed the crack pipe in his crotch area to prevent it from being found from police,” Officer Lorenzo said.
Police also located a bag of marijuana on Castriotta’s person which also had crack cocaine inside of it.
Officer Lorenzo said, “Please be advised of the following information:
- The bag containing a white rock-like substance due to my training and experience is consistent with crack cocaine, as determined by a drug detective. Crack cocaine is classified as an illegal Class B substance under Massachusetts General Law. The total weight of the substance was 0.8 grams.
- The bag containing the green leafy substance due to my training and experience is consistent with marijuana, with a total weight of 31.5 grams. This is where the white rock-like substance consistent with crack cocaine was found.
- Marc Castriotta has a prior guilty conviction for Possession of a Class B substance, on 10/11/06 out of Lowell District Court. For that reason, Marc is being charged with Possession of a Class B Substance, Subsequent Offense.
With the facts above, Marc Castriotta was arrested for his active warrant. Due to the discovery of the Class B substance upon search incident to arrest, I am charging Marc Castriotta with the following charges: Drug, Possess Class B, Subsequent Offense.”
Castriotta was arraigned in Leominster District Court on Nov. 5, 2024, following his arraignment, he was released on his own personal recognizance. Castriotta attended a pretrial conference on Nov. 25, 2024, which was continued to Dec. 19, 2024.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from November, 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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