By Jim Clark

Police officers patrolling the area in and around the Home Depot parking last Monday made a random RMV inquiry on a vehicle they were following.

The Registry data indicated that the vehicle was active, but it had failed its inspection earlier in the year. As officers continued to follow the vehicle out onto Mystic Ave. they noticed that there was a passing inspection sticker displayed.

Because the Registry reports indicated that the vehicle had failed its inspection, officers stopped the vehicle in order to question the occupants.

Officers approached the driver, a woman later identified as Rowena Golay, 56, of Randolph. Police explained why they stopped the vehicle and Golay reportedly told them that her inspection sticker has not expired and commenced to hand over some documents to them. The officers reported that Golay appeared to be nervous and her hands were noticeably shaking.

Golay was told by officers that her inspection sticker was counterfeit, and that this was a crime and that she could be placed under arrest. The woman reportedly told police that she was 56 years old and that she had not been arrested since she was a teenager.

She reportedly went on to say that she had merely driven her nephew to Home Depot to pick up a few things. Police reported they could find no evidence of goods purchased or any receipts for any such purchases.

The male passenger of the vehicle, later identified as Justin White, 30, of Boston, was asked if he had a driver’s license, since Golay was going to be placed under arrest and officers wanted to provide the opportunity for the vehicle to be driven away rather than have it towed. White showed his license but informed officers that it was suspended. Golay and White were then asked to exit the vehicle and sit on the curb while officers conducted a search of the vehicle.

When the glove compartment of the vehicle was opened officers noticed that a section of it was broken and there appeared to be tissue paper stuff into the opening. As the paper was pulled out, a plastic bag was discovered with a corner cut out of it, which appeared to the officers to be consistent with packaging methods used by narcotics dealers.

The vehicle search also reportedly turned up a prescription bottle. When asked about it, Golay denied knowing anything, but White reportedly told officers that he wanted to be honest with them and that he had hidden the bottle when the vehicle was pulled over.
Golay and White were then advised of their Miranda rights and were handcuffed.

Inspection of the contents of the prescription bottle yielded five pills, which were identified as Suboxone, a class B narcotic. White reportedly admitted to illicitly buying the pills a week earlier “because it was too hard to get a prescription for them,” according to reports.
Prior to being transported for booking, a frisk search was performed on both Golay and White. When asked if she had anything on her that police could have missed, Golay reportedly told them that she had around $600 in her underwear because “it didn’t fit in her pockets.”

Golay then reportedly retrieved the money, four separate stacks of bills, and handed it over to police. Officers on the scene determined that due to the presence of the pills, the cut sandwich bag, and the manner in which the money was handled, that Golay would be charged with possession with intent to distribute class B narcotic, conspiracy to violate drug laws, and possession of a forged RMV document.

White was charged with possession with intent to distribute a class B narcotic and conspiracy to violate drug laws.