DUDLEY – On Thursday, August 20, 2026, at approximately 12:40 a.m., Webster Police Officer Byron Lara was on patrol on Oxford Avenue when he observed a blue Honda Civic with Massachusetts plates traveling northbound on Oxford Avenue.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Byron Lara and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
Officer Lara said he used the mobile data terminal in his cruiser to conduct a Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) query of the Honda’s registration.
“The query indicated that the registration was active and assigned to a 2004 blue Honda Civic registered to Paul Bilodeau,” Officer Lara said. Later adding, “The query further indicated that the vehicle had an expired inspection sticker.”
According to police, Paul E. Bilodeau, 56, is a resident of Webster, MA.
“Based on the expired inspection sticker, I activated the overhead emergency blue lights on my cruiser to initiate a motor vehicle stop,” Officer Lara said. “The Honda Civic pulled over safely and without incident in the area of Oxford Avenue and Pine Street.”
Officer Lara then notified dispatch of the motor vehicle stop and exited his cruiser.
“I approached the vehicle on the driver’s side and made contact with the operator, who was subsequently identified as the registered owner, Paul Bilodeau,” Officer Lara said. “I verbally identified myself and began explaining the reason for the stop. Bilodeau stated, ‘I know you’re pulling me over for the sticker.’”
Officer Lara said he saw a woman in the front passenger seat searching through the glove compartment.
“I instructed [the woman] to stop searching through the glove compartment,” Officer Lara said. “I then advised Bilodeau that the motor vehicle stop was being conducted due to the vehicle’s expired inspection sticker and requested his driver’s license and the vehicle’s registration.”
Officer Lara said Bilodeau produced his driver’s license and his passenger retrieved the vehicle’s registration from the glove compartment and handed it to him, along with her identification card.
“During my initial contact with both occupants, I observed that they were sweating profusely and had significantly dilated pupils,” Officer Lara said. “Both occupants also displayed nervous behavior, including excessive talking, avoiding sustained eye contact, and making frequent movements inside the vehicle. Based on my training and experience, the totality of these physical and behavioral indicators was consistent with possible narcotics use.”
At this time, Sergeant Keith Remillard and Officer Dylan Reney arrived on scene to assist.
“Officer Reney approached the vehicle on the passenger side and engaged [the woman] in conversation,” Officer Lara said. “I asked Bilodeau where he and [the woman] were coming from.”
Bilodeau said he was hanging out with the woman at a friend’s house before they left and began to DoorDash.
“While speaking with Bilodeau, I observed what appeared to be burnt pieces of copper located in the center console of the vehicle, along with a blow torch,” Officer Lara said. “Based on my training and experience, I recognized these items as being commonly associated with the consumption of crack cocaine. I returned to my cruiser to provide the occupants’ information to dispatch and requested that dispatch contact Webster Police K9 Officer Thomas Motyka for assistance.”
Officer Lara said that as he exited his cruiser and approached the Honda Civic, Officer Reney informed him that he observed a small black contained underneath the vehicle’s radio.
“Officer Reney stated that the container contained a small metal rod with white residue on its surface,” Officer Lara said. “Based on my training and experience, I recognized the metal rod as an item commonly referred to as a ‘push rod,’ which is commonly associated with the consumption of crack cocaine. As Officer Reney and I approached the vehicle, I observed Bilodeau reach his hand underneath the vehicle’s radio and close the black container containing the metal rod.”
At around this time, Webster Police K9 Officer Thomas Motyka responded to the scene with K9 OJ.
Officer Lara said Bilodeau and his female passenger were then removed from the vehicle and temporarily detained.
“Both occupants were handcuffed, with the handcuffs double-locked, searched, and placed in the prisoner compartments of marked cruisers #508 and #509,” Officer Lara said. He added that the prisoner compartments of the cruisers had been searched at the beginning of the shift and were found to be clear of weapons and contraband.
“With the assistance of K9 Officer Motyka and K9 OJ, two small containers were located inside the vehicle,” Officer Lara said. “The containers contained irregularly shaped, off-white, rock-like substances. Based on my training and experience, I recognized the appearance of the substances as being consistent with suspected crack cocaine.”
The two containers police located in the vehicle were:
- A small red container in the center console containing approximately 0.1 grams of suspected crack cocaine
- A small white container in the driver’s-side coin box containing approximately 0.8 grams of suspected crack cocaine
Officer Lara said an unlabeled pill bottle was also located inside the vehicle containing 21 individually packaged 8mg doses of Suboxone and one small, round blue pill stamped with a “U.”
“During the search of the vehicle, numerous pipes were located throughout the passenger compartment and rear seat. The pipes contained residue on their surfaces,” Officer Lara added. “Based on my training and experience, the presence of residue within the pipes was consistent with their use for the consumption of narcotics.”
Officer Lara said the items seized from the vehicle were placed into an evidence bag, sealed, and put it in the passenger compartment of a cruiser on scene for transport to the Dudley Police Department.
“The items were subsequently photographed and entered into evidence at the Dudley Police Department,” Officer Lara said. Adding, “Following the investigation, [the woman] was removed from the prisoner compartment of marked cruiser #139 and advised that she was free to leave. Bilodeau was transported to the Dudley Police Department, where he was photographed, booked, and processed in accordance with department policy.”
Sergeant Remillard remained on scene with the vehicle until Precision Auto Rebuilders arrived to tow it.
“During the booking process, 13 additional packs of 8 mg Suboxone were located in Bilodeau’s wallet,” Officer Lara said.
Paul E. Bilodeau, 56, of Webster, was charged with the following:
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Class B Drug (two counts)
- Possession of Class E Drug, Subsequent Offense
Bilodeau was arraigned in Dudley District Court on Aug. 20, 2026. Following his arraignment, he was released on $500 cash bail.
Bilodeau is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 18, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in August, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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