WESTMINSTER — On Monday, June 9, 2025, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Westminster Police Officer Patrick Porpora was monitoring traffic on Fitchburg Road near the Leominster State Forest Office when he saw a black pickup truck traveling eastbound toward Fitchburg without an illuminated rear license plate.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Patrick Porpora and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“As the vehicle passed and was within 60 feet of my eyesight, I could not see any portion of the license plate,” Officer Porpora said. “I turned onto Fitchburg Road and began following the vehicle. While behind the vehicle, I observed that both of the vehicle’s left-side tires crossed over the center double-yellow line before returning to the proper lane.”
Officer Porpora said he activated his blue emergency lights prior to Rowtier Drive to conduct a motor vehicle stop.
“The [driver of the] vehicle acknowledged my emergency lights, evident by brake lights activating, but continued to travel at a low speed,” Officer Porpora said. “As the vehicle was travelling at a slow speed, the operator appeared to be hunched over in an abnormal way.”
Since our launch in February 2022, News Link Live has reached over 2.2 million viewers in Massachusetts and beyond. Interested in a targeted advertising campaign? Contact us at newslinklivealerts@gmail.com or book a consultation call with us through the button below to explore your options today!
Approximately a quarter mile later, Officer Porpora said the vehicle stopped at the entrance of Bray Avenue after crossing into the city of Fitchburg.
“I approached the vehicle on the passenger’s side and requested the operator’s license and registration,” Officer Porpora said. He added that the driver handed him a license, which identified him as Derek Tessitore.
According to police, Derek Tessitore, 50, is a resident of Sanborn Avenue in West Roxbury, MA. Court documents indicate he’s single and works as a handyman.
“While speaking with Derek I noticed that his pupils were pinpoints and he was speaking extremely fast,” Officer Porpora said.
Officer Porpora said that once he obtained Tessitore’s license, he asked him to pull forward to avoid blocking the entrance of Bray Avenue.
“Derek pulled onto the curb in front of Bray Avenue and came to a stop,” Officer Porpora said. “I went back to the driver’s side to continue speaking with Derek and observed what appeared to be burnt tin foil in the backseat of the vehicle. I asked Derek if he was on any medication and he stated no. I asked why he did not pull over right and he stated that where he stopped was the safest spot.”
Officer Porpora then asked Tessitore if there was anything inside the vehicle he was trying to conceal and he replied “no.”
“Due to my observations of Derek driving, his actions while pulling over, and his physical behavior and pinpoint pupils, I asked for his consent to search the vehicle, to which he stated yes,” Officer Porpora said.
At this time, Officer Andrew Loescher arrived on scene to assist.
“Derek exited the vehicle while standing next to Officer Loescher at the tailgate of the truck,” Officer Porpora said. “Officer Loescher noticed a pocketknife in Derek’s front left pocket, which he advised Derek he was going to remove.”
Officer Porpora said Tessitore allowed Officer Loescher to search the rest of his person to ensure there were no other weapons within reach.
“While searching Derek for weapons, Officer Loescher located an object in Derek’s right pants pocket that he identified as wrapped up pills by touching them,” Officer Porpora said. “Officer Loescher removed the pills from Derek’s pocket, which were wrapped in a clear glassine [i.e. plastic] baggy, tied at the top. The pills had no prescription label with them and Derek stated he forgot they were in his pocket.”
Officer Porpora said Tessitore was placed in handcuffs while he and Officer Loescher searched the rest of his person.
“In Derek’s right sock, I located a clear glassine baggy with two smaller baggies containing a brown powder like substance. Through my training and experience, I identified the substance as heroin,” Officer Porpora said. “In Derek’s left sock, I located a clear glass tube that had a black charred substance on one end and [Chore Boy brand scrubber] in the middle. Next to the glass pipe was another clear glassine baggy with a brown powder substance inside, I identified as heroin.”
Tessitore was arrested, handcuffed, and secured in the backseat of a police cruiser.
“Officer Loescher made contact with the vehicle owner, [name redacted], who arrived on scene to take possession of it,” Officer Porpora said. “I transported Derek to the station and completed the booking process without incident. Derek was read his Miranda rights from the sign on the wall and stated he understood. Derek stated the pills we found were ‘Perk 5s’ and the brown substance was heroin cut with possibly fentanyl. The suspected pills and brown powder were photographed and entered into evidence.”
Tessitore was charged with the following:
- Possess Class A Drug
- Possess Class B Drug
“Derek was given a verbal warning for his license plate light and the marked lanes violation,” Officer Porpora said. “Derek had bail set to personal recognizance and was released bail Commissioner Weiss a short time later.”
Tessitore’s arraignment was scheduled for June 10, 2025, in Gardner District Court.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place earlier this month, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. 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
Why The Leominster Champion Failed
The Medium is the Message by Marshall McCLuhan
The Ego and the ID by Sigmund Freud
