MALDEN — On Thursday, September 11, 2025, at around 8:20 a.m., Officer Tanner Jakola of the Leominster Police Department was dispatched to Room 153 of the Leominster Motor Inn on Central Street after a 911 caller reported hearing muffled screams, banging, and someone calling for help in the room.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Tanner Jakola and Lieutenant Sean Ferguson and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“Upon arrival, I stood outside the door of Room 153,” Officer Jakola said. “I could hear what sounded like a male party talking to himself and shuffling around the room. The tone of his voice would go from conversational to nearly yelling. I could not make out what the male party was saying. A party staying in the next room over, whom I suspected to be the caller, opened the door and stated this has been going on for some time now and he believed he could hear someone asking for help.”
Officer Jakola knocked on the door and announced himself.
“A few moments later a male, later identified as Wilfredo Aponte Jr. opened the door,” Officer Jakola said.
According to police, Wilfredo Aponte Jr., 46, is a resident of Cedar Street in Malden, MA.
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“The right side of Wilfredo’s body was shielded by the door,” Officer Jakola said. “I asked him to show me his hands, he complied.”
Officer Jakola explained to Aponte why police had responded to the motel and asked whether anyone else was inside the room with him.
“Wilfredo stated no one else was in the room, stepped back from the door and let me in,” Officer Jakola said. “Due to the way the call came in (Muffled screams, banging on the wall, someone asking for help) I performed a protective sweep of the room to make sure no one else was present. While in the room I noticed a white rock-like chunk on the bed in plain view. Due to my training and experience I believed this substance to be crack cocaine.”
Officer Jakola seized the substance and placed it on the counter.
“I asked Wilfredo what it was, to which he replied, ‘Soap,’” Officer Jakola said. “Throughout the interaction, Wilfredo seemed fidgety and could not keep still. I had trouble understanding what he was saying as his speech was somewhat slurred.”
At this time, Officer Jakola said he noticed a copper scrubber on the nightstand.
“This copper scrubber, also known as ‘Chore Boy,’ is often used to facilitate the smoking of crack cocaine,” Officer Jakola said. “I also noticed a small plastic bag, often referred to as a ‘dime bag,’ on the ground. Based on my training and experience, this bag is often used to package and sell narcotics.”
Officer Jakola said he also noticed pill bottles on the nightstand with Aponte’s name on them.
“Wilfredo provided me his ID and asked if he could take his methadone. I let him do so. Wilfredo opened up a black lock box filled with containers of methadone,” Officer Jakola said. “There was also a scale in the container. Wilfredo then uttered that the substance on the bed was crack. Once Wilfredo took the methadone and Officer [Patrick] Flory arrived on scene, I had him stand up. Without asking him any questions, Wilfredo stated, ‘I’m going to make this easy for you,’ reached into his waistband, and pulled out a baggie with a large amount of the aforementioned white rock-like substance and white powder (BTB [believed to be] crack cocaine), and placed it on a table. Wilfredo was subsequently placed under arrest.”
Aponte was then transported to the Leominster Police Department by Officer Flory, who located a crack pipe in his pants pocket during a search of his person incident to arrest.
“The crack pipe was seized and placed into evidence for destruction,” Officer Jakola said. “I checked with the motel manager and found out the room was rented to Wilfredo for one night and he was due to check out this morning.”
Officer Jakola said Detective Jonathan Monahan seized the suspected crack cocaine and later weighed it at the station, determining it to be approximately 61.46 grams.
Wilfredo Aponte Jr. was arrested and charged with the following (Officer Jakola’s explanation for the charges is provided in quotations):
- Distribute Class B Drug, Subsequent Offense: “Wilfredo had a large amount (61.46 grams) of what is believed to be crack cocaine, along with items consistent with drug distribution. (Small plastic baggie and a scale). Wifredo’s criminal history shows a guilty finding on Sept. 1, 2022, for distribute/dispense Class B crack cocaine.”
- Trafficking in Cocaine, 36 grams or More, Less than 100 grams: “The white rock like substance and powder had a gross weight of 61.46 grams.”
Police said that following his arrest, Aponte was transported to an area hospital for a medical evaluation.
“Mr. Aponte complained of right wrist pain. Due to his level of cocaine intoxication, I could not determine if it was preexisting or not,” Lt. Ferguson said. “Pictures taken of wrist and no visible injuries were observed. He was transported to ER due to his high level of cocaine intoxication.”
Aponte attended his arraignment on Sept. 11, 2025 in Leominster District Court. Following his arraignment, Aponte was held on $5,000 cash bail.
At a pretrial conference on Oct. 9, 2025, the judge modified Aponte’s release to personal recognizance. The case was continued to Nov. 24, 2025.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in September, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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