Athol man arrested after police raid home, seize crack cocaine, drug paraphernalia, 12-gauge shotgun shell, and 9mm round

ATHOL — On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, following an investigation into suspected cocaine distribution by Shawn Barton, Officer Paul Forand of the Athol Police Department obtained search warrants from the Orange District Court for Barton’s Freedom Street residence and his cell phone.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Statement of Facts of Officer Forand and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“The search warrant for the residence granted daytime execution as well as authorization to search all persons present within the residence,” Officer Forand said.

According to police, Shawn Brian Barton, 38, is a resident of 192 Freedom Street, Athol, MA.

On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, at approximately 4:50 p.m., officers assigned to the Northwestern District Anti-Crime Task Force (NDATF), executed the search warrant at 192 Freedom Street.

“Task Force Officer [Timothy] Boland knocked on the side door of the residence and announced ‘Police Search Warrant’ three times in a loud and clear tone,” Officer Forand said. “After the third announcement, the door was opened by a female, identified as [46-year-old] Cassandra Barton.”

According to Officer Forand, Shawn Barton was located in the kitchen area.

In the upstairs bedroom located closest to the bathroom —designated “Bedroom 1” by officers—police found 40-year-old Dequay Legette. In the adjacent bedroom, designated “Bedroom 2,” officers located 27-year-old Jordan Coy. In a room in the basement, officers discovered 35-year-old Amanda Ellis.

All individuals located in the residence were placed in handcuffs, Officer Forand said.

“Ellis was escorted from the basement to the kitchen area,” Officer Forand said. “Once there, TFO [Task Force Officer] [Travis] Rushford explained the search warrant to [Shawn] Barton, [Cassandra] Barton, and Ellis, and read them their Miranda warnings, to which they all stated they understood.”

Shawn Barton was also informed there was a search warrant for his cellular phone, Officer Forand added.

“Barton stated his cellular phone was located in his bedroom, which was located and later called to confirm it was his,” Officer Forand said. “Lieutenant [Steven] Hean explained the search warrant to Legette and Coy and TFO [Task Force Officer] [Daniel] Menard read them their Miranda warnings, to which they all stated they understood.”

Officer Forand added, “No illegal narcotics were located on any of the persons present in the residence.”

Police located the following in Shawn Barton’s bedroom:

1. A glass cylinder covered with white residue, suspected to be a homemade pipe with crack cocaine residue
2. A glass pipe with white residue, also suspected to contain crack cocaine residue
3. A white and brown powdery substance, which Shawn Barton identified as crack cocaine
4. One 12-gauge shotgun shell
5. One 9mm round of ammunition
6. A functioning scale with white residue
7. Two 20-gram weights
8. Shawn Barton’s cell phone

“Barton’s cellular phone is currently awaiting a further forensic download by the State Police Detective Unit,” Officer Forand said. “Barton has no active License to Carry or FID in Massachusetts.”

Shawn Barton was charged with the following:

1. Possession of Class B Drug (Crack Cocaine)
2. Unlawful Possession of Ammunition

His bail was set at $250 cash.

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from February, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.

To learn more about News Link Live’s unique business model, please read the following:

An online business model that could replace local newspapers

The Medium is the Message by Marshall McCLuhan

The Ego and the ID by Sigmund Freud