Fitchburg man charged with OUI and assaulting police after Westminster traffic stop

WESTMINSTER — On Saturday June 21, 2025, at approximately 8:30 p.m., Officer Patrick Porpora of the Westminster Police Department was monitoring traffic on Main Street near the Westminster Barber Club when he observed a gray sedan traveling toward Gardner that appeared to be driving at a higher rate of speed than the posted 30 mile per hour speed limit.

(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.)

“I held up my department issued hand held radar unit facing toward the vehicle which displayed the vehicle travelling at 52 mph,” Officer Porpora said. “I got behind the vehicle and activated my blue emergency lights and conducted a motor vehicle stop on Main Street and the intersection of Brooks Avenue.”

Officer Porpora approached the vehicle on the passenger side and asked for the driver’s license and registration. The driver handed over a license identifying him as Cyrus Greene.

According to police, Cyrus W. Greene, 27, is a resident of Day Street in Fitchburg, MA.

“Cyrus stated he was sorry for speeding and attempted to gather his registration,” Officer Porpora said. “Cyrus was speaking with a thick tongue in a slurred manner. I observed Cyrus to have red, bloodshot glassy eyes, and there was a strong odor of alcohol emanating from the vehicle. As Cyrus struggled to find his registration, I observed an empty menthol nip on the floor of the passenger seat and a full can of beer on the passenger seat. Cyrus stated he was coming from getting a haircut in Fitchburg and going to his girlfriend’s house in Gardner.”

Officer Porpora said that Officer Travis Heath arrived on scene at this time to assist.

“I requested Cyrus to step out of the vehicle due to my observations of him,” Officer Porpora said. “Cyrus walked to the back of his vehicle while appearing to be unsteady on his feet. While at the back of the vehicle I observed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from Cyrus’s mouth area. Cyrus stated he had a tequila and soda and one taco approximately an hour ago. Cyrus stated that he went to the gym and got a haircut prior to driving home. Cyrus is not on any medication and does not wear any contacts or glasses. Cyrus stated he graduated from high school.”

Officer Porpora then asked Cyrus to perform some Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs).

The first test Officer Porpora asked Cyrus to perform was the “alphabet test,”

“I asked Cyrus to say his ABC’s starting with A and ending with Z without singing it,” Officer Porpora said. “Cyrus stated the following: ‘ABCDEFGHIKLMNOPQRSTUVQRS, f*ck.’ Cyrus attempted this again and stated ‘ABCDQRS.’ Cyrus attempted this one more time stating ‘ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTRVQRSLMNOZ.’”

The next test Officer Porpora asked Cyrus to perform was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test. According to findlaw.com, the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test is a field sobriety test where an officer has an individual follow an object (such as a pen tip or pen light) with his/her eyes. The HGN test checks for the involuntary jerking of one’s eyes as they gaze side to side. This involuntary jerkiness is said to increase while under the influence of alcohol.

“I observed both eyes to have equal pupil sizes and they tracked together,” Officer Porpora said after performing the test. “Cyrus had a lack of smooth pursuit, onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees, and distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation in both eyes. Cyrus’s performance on this test indicated impairment.”

The third test Officer Porpora asked Cyrus to perform was the “Nine Step Walk and Turn.” This test requires the subject to count out loud as they take nine heel-to-toe steps along a straight line (like a visible line on a road), then turn on one foot and return in the opposite direction.

“I had Cyrus get into the instructional position while I explained the test to him,” Officer Porpora said. “While explaining the test to Cyrus, he broke the instructional position and had to be reminded to get back into it. Cyrus completed the nine steps forward correctly before not properly doing the turn. Cyrus missed his heel to toe while walking back before completing the test. Cyrus’s performance on this test indicated impairment.”

The fourth test Officer Porpora asked Cyrus to perform was the ‘One-Leg stand.’ This test involves lifting one leg about six inches off the ground, then holding the foot in a position parallel to the ground, while keeping ones arms at their sides.

“Cyrus was told that he needed to raise his leg approximately 6 inches off the ground while keeping his leg straight, toe pointed, and counting aloud,” Officer Porpora said. “Cyrus raised his arms more than 6 inches from his side for balance, while also swaying side to side. Cyrus did not raise his leg six inches or point his toe. Cyrus’s performance on this test indicated impairment.”

Officer Porpora said that Cyrus then took a breathalyzer test on scene with a Drager Alcotest 6810, a portable breath test (PBT) machine. The result of Cyrus’ breath test was 0.17 BAC.

“At the conclusion of the PBT, Cyrus was told to face his vehicle,” Officer Porpora said. “Cyrus began to walk away from Officer Heath and I toward the center of Main Street. At this time, I took possession of Cyrus’s left arm and advised him he was under arrest. Cyrus immediately tensed up and flexed his arms and began attempting to pull away. Officer Heath and I escorted Cyrus to the ground and attempted to place him into handcuffs. Cyrus continued fighting on the ground, kicking Officer Heath and I. Cyrus made multiple attempts to kick, grab, and punch Officer Heath and I to get away. The altercation with Cyrus drew the attention of a bystander who came over to attempt to help place Cyrus in custody. Eventually, Officer Heath and I were able to place Cyrus in one handcuff while using a wristlock to get his other hand cuffed.”

Cyrus was then searched and placed into the rear of a cruiser.

“Westminster Garage was requested to the scene while State Trooper Cataldo waited for the tow. Cyrus was transported to the station for booking and read his Miranda rights by Officer Heath,” Officer Porpora said. “Westminster EMS was called to the booking room to evaluate Cyrus for injuries to his right and left knees he sustained while resisting. Cyrus had his knees bandaged and signed a medical refusal.”

Officer Porpora said that, at 9:26 p.m., he began reading Cyrus his statutory rights and consent form.

“At 9:29PM, after reading Cyrus the entire form he refused to take the breath test offered, witnessed by Officer Heath. Cyrus refused to sign the rights form indicating he was refusing a breath test and subsequently his refusal was entered into the BT [breath test] machine,” Officer Porpora said.

Cyrus Greene was issued a citation for the following:

• OUI Liquor or .08%
• Speeding (52 mph in a 30 mph zone)

Cyrus was also charged with the following:

• Assault & Battery on Police Officer (two counts)
• Resisting Arrest

“Bail Commissioner Marianne Kissane set bail to personal recognizance and Cyrus made a phone call to his girlfriend for a ride,” Officer Porpora said. “A short time later, Cyrus was released to his girlfriend. Cyrus was given a copy of his citation and notice of suspension prior to leaving.”

Cyrus’ arraignment was scheduled for June 23, 2025, in Gardner District Court.

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

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