SHREWSBURY — On Sunday, December 14, 2025, at approximately 9:37 p.m., Officer Eric Sloan of the Shrewsbury Police Department said he observed a gray Honda traveling east on Boston Turnpike with no rear lights on.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Eric Sloan and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“After getting behind the vehicle at the intersection of Boston Turnpike and Maple Avenue, I observed the vehicle to also have only one functioning brake light,” Officer Sloan said.
Once the light turned green, Officer Sloan said he initiated a motor vehicle stop at 380 Maple Avenue.
Officer Sloan said that throughout the stop, he observed the rear-seat passenger, identified as 25-year-old Jayle Barbour, moving around as she attempted to conceal tin foil, crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia.
“At this time, all occupants were asked to step out of the vehicle,” Officer Sloan said. “As Ms. Barbour exited the vehicle, a crack pipe fell on the ground. During a search of the Ms. Barbour a small bag of purple powder which appeared to be fentanyl was located in her sock.”
Officer Sloan said that while the driver, 40-year-old Albert Payson, was being searched police located a crack pipe in his sweatshirt pocket.
“As officers conducted a search of the vehicle, small, white, rock-like substances were found on the driver’s seat where Mr. Payson was seated, which appeared to be that of crack cocaine,” Officer Sloan said.
The front seat passenger, identified as 38-year-old Derek Thomas, was also searched and police located a small bag of purple powder believed to be fentanyl when Thomas removed his shoe.
“All three occupants of the vehicle were placed in custody for possession of narcotics,” Officer Sloan said. “During the booking process, three more bags of purple powdery substance believed to be fentanyl were located on Mr. Thomas, one of which Mr. Thomas attempted to swallow in the holding cell.”
Derek Thomas, 38, of Holden, was charged with the following:
- Possess Class A Drug (two counts)
- Withhold Evidence from Criminal Proceeding
Albert Sylvester V. Payson, 40, was arrested and charged with:
- Possess Class B Drug
- Motor Vehicle Lights Violation (two counts)
Jayle Monica Barbour, 25, was charged with:
- Possess Class A Drug
- Possess Class B Drug
- Warrant from Worcester
Thomas was arraigned in Westborough District Court on Dec. 15, 2025. Following his arraignment, where he pleaded not guilty, Thomas was released on $500 cash bail. Thomas’ next court date was a pretrial hearing scheduled for Jan. 13, 2026.
(Note: The criminal dockets for Payson and Barbour were not included in the records provided to News Link Live in response to a Freedom of Information request.)
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the arrest in this story took place in December, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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