RUTLAND — At about 3:31 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, 2025, Rutland Police Officer Samuel Perotto was parked at the entrance of the Colonial Convenience Store on Barre Paxton Road monitoring traffic when a vehicle with Massachusetts plates passed by. Acting on a hunch, he ran the registration through his cruiser’s mobile data terminal.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Samuel Perotto and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“I entered the vehicles plate information into my mobile data terminal (MDT) located in my cruiser,” Officer Perotto said. “Massachusetts Registration Number: [number redacted] which came back to a 2023 Black Subaru Crosstrek with a registration status that is revoked for insurance. I got behind the vehicle and was able to confirm the license plate, I then activated my emergency blue lights to initiate a traffic stop.”
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Officer Perotto said the vehicle pulled over to the right side of the road and came to a stop in a grassy area.
“I approached the vehicle and began speaking with the operator identified as Joseph Koperda, who provided me with a New York License, which came back as active,” Officer Perotto said. “While speaking with the operator I could smell an odor of alcohol. The operator had blood shot eyes. When I asked where he was coming from, he said a friend’s house. I asked where is that located and he said, ‘I don’t know.’”
According to police, Joseph G. Koperda, 32, is a resident of Rocky Point Landing in Rocky Point, New York.
“I then asked where he was going and he replied home, North Brookfield. He was advised that he was traveling in the wrong direction headed towards Paxton and the Worcester area,” Officer Perotto said.
At this time, Officer Brent Carpenter arrived on scene.
“I informed Officer Carpenter of the situation. Joseph was asked to step out of the vehicle and I conducted the standardized field sobriety tests, and Joseph, in my training, did not appear to be impaired,” Officer Perotto said. Adding, “I did inform him that his vehicle was going to be towed due to the registration status being revoked/insurance. Officer Carpenter then called for Rutland towing and was clear of the scene for another call in town.”
Joseph Koperda was handed a Massachusetts Uniform Citation for the following charges:
- Uninsured Motor Vehicle
- Operating Motor Vehicle with Suspended Registration
“A Rutland Police Department inventory and tow release form was completed and handed to Joseph,” Officer Perotto said. “I asked him to arrange for a ride and informed him that I would provide him a courtesy transport back to the Rutland Police Department to be picked up by an Uber.”
Rutland Towing then arrived on scene and took possession of the vehicle.
Officer Perotto added: “Rutland Police Department body cameras were activated during this incident. This report is written based on my perception of the incident. I may have seen and smelled things that my body camera did not. My body camera may have viewed and heard things that I did not see or hear. My camera was silenced for tactical conversations.”
Koperda’s arraignment was scheduled for May 5, 2025 in East Brookfield District Court.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in May, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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