AYER — On Saturday, February 7, 2026, at approximately 8:20 a.m., Ayer Police Officer Jared Splaine was on patrol when he observed a black GMC Sierra pickup truck with Massachusetts plates in the Family Dollar parking lot.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Statement of Facts of Officer Jared Splaine for the incident and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“Family Dollar was open and serving customers at this time,” Officer Splaine said. “The vehicle is registered to Denise Poirier. I have prior knowledge that the vehicle has no valid MA [Massachusetts] inspection, and that it is operated frequently by Adam Guilmette, who possesses a suspended MA driver’s license.”
According to police, Adam M. Guilmette, 43, is a resident of Sterling, MA.
“Adam was stopped and arrested out of this vehicle on Thursday, February 5, 2026, by Officer [Jacob] Noll for operating after license suspension (criminal subsequent offense),” Officer Splaine said. “I then observed a male party that I recognized to be Adam enter the driver’s seat of the GMC.”
Officer Splaine said Guilmette then drove the truck out of the Family Dollar parking lot, crossed through the Turbo Lube lot, and then pulled onto Fitchburg Road.
“Fitchburg Road is a public way maintained by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” Officer Splaine said. “Once Adam pulled onto Fitchburg Road, I pulled out behind him and activated my blue emergency lights to initiate a motor vehicle stop. The truck continued on Fitchburg Road and pulled into the Nashoba Valley Inn & Suites parking lot. The truck parked in a space, and Adam immediately exited the driver’s seat of the vehicle. Adam’s partner, Denise Poirier, exited the passenger’s side of the vehicle.”
Officer Splaine said he then ordered Guilmette to get back into the vehicle and he refused.
At around this time, Sergeant Timothy Ialeggio arrived on scene.
“Adam continued walking around to the passenger’s side of the vehicle and disobeying my order to return to the driver’s seat of the vehicle,” Officer Splaine said. “Adam then entered the front passenger’s seat of the vehicle and closed the door. Adam’s partner, Denise Poirier, then entered the driver’s seat of the vehicle while the vehicle continued to run. Given Adam’s non-compliance to this point, I feared Denise would attempt to set the vehicle in motion. Sergeant Ialeggio then removed Denise from the driver’s seat of the vehicle while I removed Adam from the passenger seat.”
Officer Splaine instructed Guilmette to place his hands behind his back.
“I then took control of Adam’s right wrist,” Officer Splaine said, adding that Guilmette then tensed up, pulled his arms away from him, and brought his hands into his chest.
Officer Splaine said Sergeant Ialeggio then assisted him in controlling Guilmette’s hands.
“I placed Adam in handcuffs (double locked),” Officer Splaine said. “I removed a lighter from Adam’s hand and returned it to the interior of the vehicle. I conducted a search of Adam’s person for weapons and means of escape and located a wallet in his right rear pocket which I gave to Denise.”
Officer Splaine said Guilmette was “argumentative and confrontational” during the entire arrest process.
“At one point, Adam yelled ‘I pulled across the f*ckin street f*ck face,’ then spun his torso forcefully away from me and yelled ‘Get the f*ck off of me,’” Officer Splaine said. “As the incident unfolded, Adam’s upper body was rigid, and he tensed against my efforts to control his right wrist and elbow. Adam turned towards me and yelled, ‘Can you stop this b*ll$hit m*therf*cker? Take the cuffs off and see what happens.’ Moments later, Adam violently whipped his body away from me in an attempt to free himself from my grasp.”
Officer Splaine said that as Sergeant Ialeggio took control of Guilmette’s left arm, Guilmette forcefully turned his body in the opposite direction and struck him in the chest with his elbow.
As Sergeant Ialeggio and Officer Splaine began escorting Guilmette to a cruiser for transport, Guilmette struggled against their efforts by lowering his center of gravity and bracing himself.
“Once at the cruiser, Adam lowered his center of gravity and leaned back towards us away from the cruiser in an attempt to prevent us from putting him into the transport seat,” Officer Splaine said. “Once in the transport seat, Adam was seat belted by Sergeant Ialeggio.”
Officer Splaine then transported Guilmette to the station.
“During the transport, Adam stated, ‘I hope I see you on the street someday so I can give you a high five,’” Officer Splaine said.
After he was booked, Guilmette was placed in a holding cell at the station.
“Bail Commissioner Charlene McCormack set bail at $150. Adam has five prior guilty convictions for operating after suspended license,” Officer Splaine said.
Adam M. Guilmette, 43, of Sterling, was charged with the following violations/offenses:
- Operating Motor Vehicle with License Suspended, Subsequent Offense
- Resist Arrest
- No Inspection Sticker
Guilmette’s arraignment was scheduled for Feb. 9, 2026, in Ayer District Court. Following his arraignment, Guilmette was released on personal recognizance. His next court date was a pretrial hearing scheduled for March 12, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in February, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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