HAVERHILL โ On Friday, August 14, 2026, Haverhill Police Officer David Steed was on patrol in the area of EZ Mart, Lafayette Square when his attention was drawn to a Honda sedan with Massachusetts plates.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer David Steed and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion ofย ย News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)ย
“The female operator was blasting loud music from the vehicle while at the gas pump,” Officer Steed said. “I queried the vehicle on CJISย [the FBIโs Criminal Justice Information Services database]ย which showed it was actively registered to Emmanuel [last name redacted] out of Lawrence. A check of our in-house records showed a female associated with Emmanuel, identified as the defendant Janel Whitson.”
According to police, Janel A. Whitson, 32, is a resident of Haverhill, MA.
“I was able to identify Janel through a tattoo on her arm that was identical to the one from her booking photo captured on March of 2022,” Officer Steed said. “I queried Janel’s name and date of birth on CJIS which showed her to have an active extraditable NCIC [National Crime Information Center] warrant for fentanyl possession.”
Officer Steed said he saw Whitson enter the vehicle and turn left onto Hilldale Avenue.
“I activated my cruiser’s emergency lights and sirens and conducted a motor vehicle stoั,” Officer Steed said. “I made contact with the operator, identified as Janel Whitson. I advised Janel that she has an active NCIC warrant and requested dispatch to check for extradition.”
Once dispatch confirmed extradition and confirmed she had an active license, Officer Steed ordered Whitson out of the vehicle.
“Within her arms reach was a purse,” Officer Steed said. “Located in the open purse was foil, consistent with drug paraphernalia. Due to the drug possession charge on the warrant and the foil located as well as search incident to arrest, I checked inside the purse and located one PB [plastic baggie] of white powder, consistent with Class B [drug] cocaine and one PB [plastic baggie] of tan powder consistent with Class A [drug] fentanyl which were tucked inside of a straw.”
Officer Steed secured the narcotics in his cruiser.
Officer Steed said Officer Matthew Woodman then arrived on scene and transported Whitson to the Haverhill Police Department for booking.
“Lieutenant [Kevin] Lynch advised Janel of the charges, Miranda warnings and right to use the telephone,” Officer Steed said. “Janel was booked per department policy, searched and transported to court.”
Janel Whitson, 32, of Haverhill, was charged with the following:
- Possess Class A Drug
- Possess Class B Drug
- Fugitive from Justice without Warrant
Whitson was arraigned in Haverhill District Court on Aug. 14, 2026. Following her arraignment, during which she pleaded not guilty, Whitson was released on personal recognizance under the condition that she remain drug free and submit to drug screenings.
Whitson is scheduled to appear by Zoom for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 10, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in August, thatโs because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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