LEOMINSTER – On Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, at approximately 4:00 p.m., Leominster Police Officer Jonathan Ramos was dispatched to the Hannaford at 118 Lancaster Street following a report of a man in the parking lot screaming and swearing at people.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Jonathan Ramos and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“Upon arrival, Officer [Marjus] Zylyftari was already speaking with Mr. Mark Pearl near the property line of 118 Lancaster Street and CSX property,” Officer Ramos said.
According to police, Mark A. Pearl, 36, is a resident of Fitchburg, MA.
Officer Ramos added that Pearl had previously been trespassed from the Hannaford at 118 Lancaster Street indefinitely.
“CSX property was clearly posted no trespassing with a large sign on concrete jersey barriers marking the property line distinctly,” Officer Ramos said. “Mr. Pearl was near these signs. I began speaking with Officer Zylyftari to begin my investigation when Mr. Pearl began walking away from officers.”
Officer Ramos then told Pearl to remain on scene and warned him that he was trespassing.
“Mr. Pearl was not interested in heeding my warning and disregarded my effort to deescalate the situation. Mr. Pearl was about 50 feet onto the CSX property,” Officer Ramos said. “I informed Mr. Pearl that he was now under arrest for trespassing.”
Officer Ramos said that, after informing Pearl that he was under arrest, he continued to disregard his lawful commands and walk away from him.
“I walked after Mr. Pearl and, after a short distance, caught up to him,” Officer Ramos said. “I determined Mr. Pearl to be noncompliant.”
Officer Ramos said he then grabbed Pearl’s right arm to begin the arresting procedure.
“I ordered Mr. Pearl to place his hands behind his back,” Officer Ramos said. “Mr. Pearl attempted to face me and tensed his muscles using physical resistance in order to prevent a lawful arrest. Mr. Pearl continued disregarding my de-escalation efforts. I determined Mr. Pearl to be noncompliant and potentially combative, as he was using physical resistance against officers.”
Officer Ramos said he warned Pearl that he was going to take him to the ground.
“I then grabbed ahold of Mr. Pearl’s leg to direct him onto the ground in order to gain immediate and conclusive control,” Officer Ramos said. “Mr. Pearl continued to use physical force and would not place his hands behind his back.”
Officer Ramos said that since contact controls were not effective at this time, he warned Pearl that he would use his pepper stray to gain his compliance. Officer Ramos then removed his pepper spray and aimed the nozzle at Pearl’s forehead.
Officer Ramos said he issued additional warnings while displaying his pepper spray, which he described as a successful de-escalation effort because Pearl complied afterward.
“I handcuffed Mr. Pearl, checked the handcuffs for proper fit, and double-locked them,” Officer Ramos said. “Mr. Pearl was searched incident to arrest and transported to the Leominster Police Department for booking.”
Mark A. Pearl, 36, of Fitchburg, was charged with the following:
- Trespass (two counts): “Mr. Pearl was previously trespassed from 118 Lancaster Street and disregarded clearly posted no trespassing signs for CSX property. Mr. Pearl was on both properties without a right to do so,” Officer Ramos explained.
- Resist Arrest: “Mr. Pearl tensed his muscles and used physical force to prevent a lawful arrest,” Officer Ramos said.
Pearl’s arraignment was scheduled for Aug. 3, 2026, in Leominster District Court.
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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