Townsend man arrested in Groton after failing to stop at intersection

GROTON — While on patrol around 1:31 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, Sergeant Kevin Henehan of the Groton Police Department observed a blue Ford Explorer with Massachusetts plates fail to stop at the posted sign while turning right from Lowell Road (Route 40) onto Main Street (Route 119).

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

“I was sitting in my marked cruiser in the business parking lot of the Country Farms convenience store located at 127 Main Street/Route 119,” Sgt. Henehan said. “I was across the street from the stop sign within 50 feet of the intersection and had an unobstructed view when I observed the motor vehicle infraction. I activated my blue emergency lights and siren and the vehicle pulled to the right of the roadway in the area of The Groton Inn, 128 Main Street/Route 119.”

Sgt. Henehan said he radioed dispatch with his location and made contact with the operator, identified as Cyrus Rivera.

According to police, Cyrus Rivera, 21, is a resident of [number redacted] Bridle Path in Townsend, Massachusetts.

“I advised Mr. Rivera that I had stopped him for violating (M.G.L. c. 89/9), Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign,” Sgt. Henehan said. “I requested his license and registration. Mr. Rivera advised that he did not have his Massachusetts Permit in his possession. He provided me with his name, address and date of birth.”

Sgt. Henehan said that the passenger in the vehicle, Kayla [last name redacted], who resides at the same address in Townsend as Rivera, provided a valid registration and was found to be the registered owner of the vehicle.

“She also provided a valid MA [Massachusetts] license and she is over 21 with more than one year of driving experience,” Sgt. Henehan said. “I returned to my cruiser and ran a query of Mr. Rivera’s license/registration status on my cruiser MDT [Mobile Data Terminal] and the Massachusetts Warrant Management System alerted that there was an active arrest warrant for Mr. Rivera. Dispatch confirmed the warrant.”

Sgt. Henehan said the warrant was issued on July 25, 2023 “by the honorable Judge Harold Naughton of the Worcester District Court.” The warrant for Rivera’s arrest was for the following charges:

• Uninsured Motor Vehicle
• Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle
• Registration Not in Possession (This offense took place on April 17, 2023, in Worcester, Massachusetts, according to Sgt. Henehan.)

At this time, Sgt. Henehan said Officer Peter Breslin and Officer Tyler Melanson arrived on scene.

“Mr. Rivera was made aware of the active warrant,” Sgt. Henehan said.

Rivera was placed under arrest, handcuffed with double locks, and secured in the rear of Officer Melanson’s cruiser. Officers Breslin and Melanson then transported him to the Groton Police Department for booking. Kayla took control of the vehicle, Sgt. Henehan said.

“At the station, Mr. Rivera was booked in the usual manner and afforded all applicable rights,” Sgt. Henehan said. “He was advised of his Miranda warning rights which were read to him and signed by him indicating that he understood his rights.”

In addition to the warrant out for his arrest, Rivera was given a verbal warning for Failure to Stop and License/Permit Not in Possession.

“At approximately 2:45 p.m., Mr. Rivera was transported to the Ayer District Court,” Sgt. Henehan said.

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in April, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

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