By Jim Clark

A Somerville police officer on patrol in the early morning hours of last Wednesday, February 28, noticed a car illegally parked at a Bonair St. location. The vehicle was reportedly more than two feet from the curb and parked in a no parking zone. A query of the license plate showed that the vehicle was registered to a rental company.

The officer exited his cruiser to issue a citation and observed a white male hiding in the back seat of the vehicle. The officer asked the man what he was doing in the back seat of the vehicle and he reportedly replied, “I’m waiting for my girlfriend.”

The officer then asked him for his identification card or any document with his name and date of birth on it, and he reportedly replied, “I don’t have anything on me with my name.”

The man verbally gave the officer a name and date of birth. The officer asked the man for his girlfriend’s name and date of birth and he he reportedly gave a name, but said he did not know her date of birth or address. The officer next asked him where she went and he replied, “I don’t know.”

According to reports, the man did not have the keys to the vehicle or a rental agreement. The officer asked the man who rented the vehicle and he reportedly replied, “A friend of my girlfriend,” but he was unable to provide a name.

The officer offered the man the use of his phone to contact his girlfriend or her “friend” to confirm that he had the right to be in the vehicle and he reportedly sated “I don’t know their phone number.”

Additional officers arrived as backup, and the man was asked to step out of the vehicle. While conducting a pat frisk, the officer located a wallet in the man’s back pocket. The officer asked if there was any form of identification in the wallet and he reportedly replied, “Yes. I lied to you because I have a warrant.”

While searching for an identification card, the man asked the officer to be careful with a note his girlfriend gave him. The officer located a “Mass Health” card with the name John R. Elwell. A query of the name and date of birth showed that Elwell had outstanding warrants for breaking and entering a motor vehicle in the nighttime for a felony, possession of burglarious instrument, and possession of a class B drug.

Elwell was placed under arrest for the warrant charges. During the inventory of Elwell’s belongings, police reportedly located two folded pieces of paper, each containing a white powdery substance, which police determined was heroin.

Elwell was further charged with felony nighttime breaking and entering of a vehicle or boat and possession of a class A drug.

The drugs were placed into evidence to be submitted to the crime lab for testing.