DUDLEY — On Friday, April 3, 2026, at approximately 9:35 p.m., Sergeant Keith Remillard and Officer Luis Pacheco of the Dudley Police Department were dispatched to the area of 105 Center Road along with Dudley EMS following a report of an unresponsive female driver stopped in the middle of the roadway.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Sergeant Keith Remillard and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“The reporting party, identified as Mark Gaudette is a Nichols College public safety officer,” Sergeant Remillard said. “Officer Pacheco and I responded and arrived on scene a short time later.”
The vehicle, a gray 2011 Buick Regal with Connecticut plates, was stopped in the middle of the northbound travel lane, according to Sergeant Remillard.
“I stopped my cruiser behind the vehicle and Officer Pacheco positioned his cruiser in front of the vehicle,” Sergeant Remillard said. “I exited my cruiser and advised dispatch of the vehicle information while Officer Pacheco made contact with the operator, identified as Sherry Plitouke.”
According to police, Sherry M. Plitouke, 35, is a resident of Southbridge, MA.
“Officer Pacheco approached the vehicle and observed that Plitouke appeared unresponsive while seated behind the wheel,” Sergeant Remillard said. “The vehicle was still running and there was loud music playing.”
Officer Pacheco opened the driver’s side door and attempted to wake Plitouke up.
“After unsuccessfully waking Plitouke, Officer Pacheco administered a sternum rub and it was at this point that Plitouke became responsive,” Sergeant Remillard said. “Officer Pacheco shut the vehicle off as I approached the vehicle.”
Sergeant Remillard said that as Officer Pacheco began speaking with Plitouke she was having trouble answering his questions.
“Plitouke did not know where she was or that she had become unresponsive while operating the vehicle,” Sergeant Remillard said. “During their conversation, Plitouke appeared extremely confused and then stated that she was on her way to her boyfriend’s house.”
While Officer Pacheco spoke with Plitouke, Sergeant Remillard spoke with Gaudette.
“Mr. Gaudette stated that he observed Plitouke as the sole occupant of the vehicle and it appeared that she was asleep at the wheel,” Sergeant Remillard said. “Mr. Gaudette stated that the vehicle was in drive when he attempted to make contact with Plitouke.”
Gaudette said he opened the driver’s side door and put the vehicle in park.
“Plitouke remained unresponsive and did not wake up until Officer Pacheco made contact,” Sergeant Remillard said. “At this point, Officer Pacheco advised Plitouke to exit the vehicle and step to the rear.”
Sergeant Remillard said he went to where Plitouke was standing and observed that she was unsteady on her feet.
“Plitouke was wearing a black leather-style jacket that was unzipped and blue jeans,” Sergeant Remillard said.
Sergeant Remillard said Plitouke’s speech was slow and she appeared extremely drowsy when he began speaking with her.
“During my conversation with Plitouke, I observed a pattern of sedation and impaired responsiveness,” Sergeant Remillard said. “Plitouke ‘nodded off’ while standing outside of her vehicle and appeared confused. Based on my training and experience, I know that these are signs of someone that is under the influence of narcotics, specifically opioids.”
Sergeant Remillard said he asked Plitouke if she had consumed any drugs or alcohol and she said she had not.
“Note that during my interaction with Plitouke, I did not detect an odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from her breath and Plitouke did not exhibit any signs of being under the influence of an alcoholic beverage,” Sergeant Remillard said. “I then asked Plitouke where she was going, and at first, she stated that she was going home, and then stated that she was going to her boyfriend’s house.”
Sergeant Remillard then asked Plitouke if she had any medical conditions that would impair her ability to operate a motor vehicle and she said that she did not.
“I asked Plitouke if she was prescribed any medications and she stated that she was not,” Sergeant Remillard said.
Sergeant Remillard said he asked Plitouke if she wanted to be evaluated by Dudley EMS, but she declined.
“Based on the fact that Plitouke was unresponsive at the wheel, and my observations of her during our interaction, I formed the opinion that she was under the influence of narcotics (opioids), and that it was unsafe for her to operate the vehicle,” Sergeant Remillard said. “Officer Pacheco called for the on-duty tow and began a motor vehicle inventory.”
Sergeant Remillard said that, at this point, he escorted Plitoucke out of the roadway for her safety.
“While continuing conversation with Plitouke, I asked her if she had anything on her and she replied, ‘I have pills in my jacket pocket,’” Sergeant Remillard said.
Sergeant Remillard then asked Plitouke if the pills were in a prescribed prescription bottle and she said they were not.
“At this point, I grabbed the outside of Plitouke’s right jacket pocket and felt a small, semi-hard object inside,” Sergeant Remillard said. “I asked Plitouke if the pills were located in that object and she stated yes. I removed the object from Plitouke’s pocket and observed a greenish silicone-style pill pouch.”
Inside the pouch, Sergeant Remillard said he located a whitish, rock-like substance that, based on his training and experience, he believed to be crack cocaine, a Class B substance.
“Plitouke immediately began stating that the black leather style jacket that she was wearing was not hers,” Sergeant Remillard said. “Note that Plitouke’s jacket appeared to be her size and fit her properly. Plitouke stated that the jacket was her friend’s but she could not give me her friend’s name.”
Sergeant Remillard said he told Officer Pacheco what he had located on Plitouke. Officer Pacheco then immediately stopped the motor vehicle inventory and asked dispatch to contact Webster Police K-9 Officer Thomas Motyka to respond to the scene for assistance.
Officer Motyka arrived on scene a short time later.
“At this point, I advised Plitouke that she was being placed under arrest and to turn around and place her hands behind her back,” Sergeant Remillard said. “I handcuffed Plitouke behind her back, double locked the handcuffs, and checked them for tightness.”
Plitouke was then placed in the rear of a cruiser.
Sergeant Remillard noted that he checked on Plitouke several times while she was seated in the cruiser and during those checks she had “nodded off” again.
“Prior to K9 Officer Motyka arriving on scene, Officer Pacheco read Plitouke her Miranda warnings while she was seated in the rear of marked cruiser 509,” Sergeant Remillard said. “Officer Pacheco asked Plitouke if there was anything else in the vehicle and she stated that she did not know because it was not her vehicle.”
With the assistance of K-9 Officer Motyka and K-9 OJ, Sergeant Remillard said a ball of aluminum foil containing two clear plastic baggies was located inside the vehicle.
“One clear plastic bag appeared to contain a pinkish-colored powdery substance that based on my training and experience, I believed to be heroin/fentanyl (Class A substance),” Sergeant Remillard said. “The second clear plastic bag appeared to contain a whitish, rock-like substance that based on my training and experience, I believed to be crack cocaine (Class B substance).”
Sergeant Remillard transported Plitouke to the Dudley Police Department for booking while Officer Pacheco remained on scene for the vehicle to be towed by SH Auto Repair.
“Webster Police Officer Melissa Bak responded to the Dudley Police Department for a female prisoner search,” Sergeant Remillard said. “Officer Bak arrived at the Dudley Police Department and we escorted Plitouke into the booking room.”
Sergeant Remillard advised Plitouke that the booking room was recorded and escorted her into a female cell to be searched.
“Officer Bak’s search of Plitouke resulted in locating a black tube containing a clear glass pipe, stuffed with Chore Boy [scrubber], and burnt residue,” Sergeant Remillard said. “Based on my training and experience, I know that these items are commonly used to smoke crack cocaine.”
After she was searched, Plitouke was photographed, fingerprinted, read her applicable rights and booked, according to Sergeant Remillard.
“Throughout the booking process, Plitouke continued to display a pattern of sedation and impaired responsiveness,” Sergeant Remillard said. “Plitouke appeared to ‘nod off’ several times throughout the booking and fingerprint process.”
After she was booked, Plitouke was released on personal recognizance.
“The items that were located and seized from Plitouke’s person and vehicle were photographed and secured into evidence bags,” Sergeant Remillard said. “The pinkish-colored powdery substance that based on my training and experience, I believed to be heroin/fentanyl (Class A substance) weighed 0.7 grams. The pinkish-colored powdery substance was field tested in the booking room by Officer Pacheco and appeared to test positive for fentanyl. The whitish, rock-like substance that, based on my training and experience, I believed to be crack cocaine (Class B substance) weighed 1.9 grams.”
Sherry Plitouke, 35, of Southbridge, was charged with the following:
- OUI-Drugs
- Negligent Operation of Motor Vehicle
- Possess Class A Drug (fentanyl)
- Possess Class B Drug (crack cocaine)
Plitouke’s arraignment was scheduled for the morning of April 6, 2026, in Dudley District Court.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in April, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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