TEWKSBURY – Police Chief Ryan Columbus reports that the Tewksbury Police Department arrested and charged three people and seized an illegal handgun after two separate incidents Friday and early Saturday morning.
On Friday, at 10:51 a.m., Tewksbury Police responded to the Circle K gas station on Andover Street for a report of two individuals nodding off who appeared to be under the influence of drugs in a Nissan sedan in the parking lot. Upon arrival, officers located a man and a woman who were asleep in the two front seats, with the man in the driver’s seat.
Officers observed a glass pipe consistent with pipes used to smoke crack cocaine, in plain view inside the vehicle, which was registered to the ex-husband of the woman in the passenger seat. A search was performed, and during the search Tewksbury Police located a Taurus .40 caliber firearm and a magazine loaded with nine rounds inside a backpack. Upon closer examination, it was determined that the serial number had been grinded off the firearm.
As a result, the driver, identified as JAMES M. POLOWSKI, AGE 29, OF TOWNSEND was arrested and charged with:
- Carrying a Loaded Firearm Without a License
- Receiving a Firearm with a Defaced Serial Number
- Possession of Ammunition without a FID
The passenger, a 36-year-old Townsend woman, was allowed to leave the scene without charges, but the vehicle was impounded by police, as the woman’s license is currently suspended, and she was unable to drive the vehicle from the scene.
Then, shortly after midnight on Saturday, Tewksbury Police received a 911 call from a guest of the Motel 6 located on Main Street for a report that a man pulled a knife on another man during an altercation.
Police arrived and conducted a thorough on-scene investigation. It was determined that both parties, at different times, were the aggressors in the argument, with one man pulling a knife and the other (the 911 caller) reigniting the situation by approaching the first man with a baseball bat and pointing it at him in a threatening manner.
As a result, BRIAN DONAHUE, AGE 41, OF TEWKSBURY was charged with:
- Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Knife)
- Resisting Arrest
During the investigation and arrest, DONAHUE refused to comply with lawful police orders and pushed his way past officers an an attempt to escape a police cruiser. At that time, and after warnings from officers, pepper spray was deployed twice on DONAHUE which successfully helped officers gain his compliance for arrest and transport to the Tewksbury Police Department for booking.
The second man, ALBERT ECHENIQUE, AGE 51, OF LOWELL was also arrested and charged with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Baseball Bat).
All three suspects will be arraigned Monday in Lowell District Court.
These are allegations. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.
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