The following is a brief summary pertaining to Incident #16052539:

 

On Tuesday, August 16, 2016 I was working in the Somerville Police Drug Control Unit as Delta-18. I was in the area of Fountain Avenue and Glen Street when I observed a male known to me as XXXXX pacing on Fountain Avenue using his cell phone multiple times. I know XXXXX from prior dealings with him in the past. Recently, I obtained information of XXXXX currently abusing drugs. Within a few minutes of XXXXX pacing back and forth, I observed a black Jeep Cherokee bearing Massachusetts registration YYYYY pull up to XXXXX. XXXXX entered the driver’s side back seat. As other detectives were responding, XXXXX quickly exited the vehicle within thirty seconds and entered a house on Fountain Avenue. The black Jeep then proceeded to drive towards Glen Street taking a left followed by another left onto Oliver Street. At this time a rolling surveillance was kept of the Jeep as it drove through the city and parked at the Market Basket located at 400 Somerville Avenue. As the three occupants exited the vehicle I immediately saw a white female who I know as Kerri Hight. As the driver exited the vehicle I was able to find that he was Ms. Hight’s husband, Mr. Michael Pyram. There was a third male in the rear of the vehicle that was never identified. Surveillance was kept of this vehicle and the three occupants as it ended in Medford, MA at Ms. Hight’s residence. At this time surveillance was terminated as to not compromise the investigation. 

 

During an inquiry of Mr. Pyram, his board of probation heck revealed he has a lengthy criminal history. Most offenses on his criminal history include drug and gun charges. I found that he had one open case for possession of a class B drug out of the Malden District Court. At this time, I placed a call to Detective Steve Fitzpatrick of the Malden Police Drug Unit. I asked Detective Fitzpatrick about Mr. Pyram. Detective Fitzpatrick stated that Detective Michael Powell had executed a search warrant on Mr. Pyram and his residence in Malden during April of 2016. Mr. Pyram was found to be in possession of multiple baggies of crack cocaine and that they had charged Mr. Pyram with Possession to Distribute a Class B drug. 

 

On Tuesday, August 23, 2016, at approximately 6:00 P.M. surveillance was set up in the area of Fountain Avenue. This surveillance was established after witnessing the hand to hand drug transaction only a week prior. At approximately 6:30 P.M. observations were made of XXXXX leaving the area of Fountain Avenue and travelling to the area of Cross Street and Fountain Avenue. XXXXX was seen using his phone multiple times as he was now waiting on this corner and appeared to be looking for someone. Within a few minutes a red Volkswagen Jetta bearing Massachusetts registration ZZZZZ stopped at the intersection of Cross Street and Fountain Avenue and XXXXX immediately walked over to the passenger side of the vehicle. I would like to note that the red Jetta was queried and it came back to an Enterprise Rental as did the black Jeep bearing MA registration YYYYY one week before. Observations were made of XXXXX reaching into the vehicle quickly and then walking to a motorized scooter he had been using. At this time, I believed that XXXXX and the occupants of this red Volkswagen Jetta had been involved in a street level drug transaction. At this time, I moved closer and found the occupants of the vehicle to be Mr. Pyram, the operator, and Ms. Hight, the passenger of this red Jetta. XXXXX drove the scooter down the street as the red Jetta followed. As XXXXX stopped in front of a house on Fountain Avenue I approached him, with the intentions of conducting a threshold inquiry, with my badge clearly displayed on my outermost garment. XXXXX saw me and immediately yelled, “I swear I didn’t get anything right now. I owed him for a bag I got earlier.”

 

While I was speaking to XXXXX, Detectives Brioso, Costa, and Legros maintained a constant rolling surveillance of the red Jetta. XXXXX stated to me that he did in fact purchase narcotics from Mr. Pyram in the past but that he only owed him money today. XXXXX stated that he owed him forty dollars for a bag of crack cocaine he had received earlier. Due to XXXXX statements, the knowledge of Mr. Pyram’s criminal history, the hand to hand drug transactions observed, Detectives attempted to stop the red Jetta for the purpose of conducting a threshold inquiry. As Detective Costa and Brioso attempted to stop the red Jetta, Mr. Pyram attempted to back away in an attempt to flee the area but couldn’t. The red Jetta was stopped outside of 83 Cross Street. As Detective Costa went to the driver’s side of the vehicle, he saw Ms. Hight place an item under her legs while seated. Detective Costa asked Ms. Hight to step out of the vehicle and he noticed a clear plastic baggie containing numerous other plastic baggies that were filled with an off white rocky substance believed to be crack cocaine. As Mr. Pyram stepped out of the vehicle, in the area of the cup holder, Detective Legros observed a clear plastic baggie containing a white powdered substance believed to be Cocaine in our training and experience. These two baggies were TruNarc tested at the Somerville Police Station by Sergeant Rego. The off white rocky substance was tested and found to be Cocaine Base or Crack Cocaine (TruNarc Scan 2431). The white powdered substance was tested and found to be Cocaine HCL (TruNarc Scan 2432). In my training and experience, the packaging of the large amount of baggies is consistent with an individual who is possessing these drugs with the intent to distribute them. Also, due to Mr. Pyram and Ms. Hight’s prior observations with XXXXX, it is clear that they are utilizing a rental vehicle in order to operate their ongoing drug enterprise together. 

 

Mr. Pyram and Ms. Hight were transported to Somerville Police Headquarters via marked unit 200, Officer Teves, where they were booked in the usual manner by Lieutenant Ward. During booking, Mr. Pyram was told that he was being charged with two counts of possession to distribute a class B drug. Mr. Pyram stated wanted to know why to which Lieutenant Ward explained that he had both crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Mr. Pyram stated that there was no difference between the two and then asked if crack carried a different sentence for trials. The red Jetta was towed via Pat’s Tow to the Somerville Police Garage. I would like to note that the area where the red Jetta was stopped was within three hundred feet of the East Somerville Community School that is maintained by the City of Somerville. 

 

At approximately 8:45 P.M., Officer Harry McGilveray and K-9 Marco from the Medford Police Department arrived to the Somerville Police Garage. K-9 Marco is a drug certified K-9 officer. Officer McGilveray and K9 Marco performed a preliminary K9 scent of the red Jetta. During this scent, K9 Marco did not alert to an area of the vehicle. However, K9 Marco did have a change in pattern when in the area of the passenger side of the vehicle. I would note this is the same area of the vehicle that Ms. Hight put a large bag of crack cocaine under her legs. 

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

 

Detective Fernando Cicerone #279