BERNARDSTON, Mass. (WWLP) – Three Vermont residents are facing multiple drug trafficking-related charges following a traffic stop on I-91 in Bernardston early Monday morning.
The Massachusetts State Police said a trooper assigned to the Shelburne Falls barracks was patrolling I-91 in Bernardston around 1 a.m. when he noticed a vehicle speeding, going 88 mph in a 65 mph zone.
After pulling the vehicle over, the trooper identified 31-year-old Benjamin Kendall of Vershire, Vermont, 37-year-old Brooke Rowell of Concord, Vermont, and 39-year-old Jessee Pease of West Fairlee, Vermont, as the three occupants of the vehicle.
According to police, the driver, Kendall, did not have an ID and told the trooper the truck he was driving was a rental but he didn’t know who rented it. The trooper arrested him after realizing he didn’t have a driver’s license.
The trooper arrested Rowell and Pease after noticing items consistent with the sale, use, and transport of drugs. Another trooper and a Greenfield Police officer responded to assist with a search of the vehicle which turned up 200 wax baggies containing heroin, 10 grams of crystal methamphetamine, nine pills, and two grams of cocaine.
A K9 team was called and discovered the dashboard area of the truck had been tampered with. State Police said 16 large bricks, each containing 300 bags, of fentanyl along with additional packages of heroin were found.
Pease also had an active warrant for his arrest.
All three were taken to the Shelburne Falls Barracks for booking. Bail was set at $25,000 for Pease and Kendall, and $20,000 for Rowell.
They were scheduled to be arraigned at Greenfield District Court on the following charges:
Benjamin Kendall
- Trafficking in Heroin
- Possession of a Class A Substance
- Possession of a Class B Substance with Intent to Distribute
- Possession of a Class B Substance
- Possession of a Class E Substance
- Conspiracy to Violate Drug Law
- Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle
- Speeding
- License Plate Violation
Brooke Rowell:
- Trafficking in Heroin
- Possession of a Class A Substance
- Possession of a Class B Substance with Intent to Distribute
- Possession of a Class B Substance, two counts
- Possession of a Class E Substance
- Conspiracy to Violate Drug Law
- Tampering with Evidence
Jesse Pease:
- Trafficking in Heroin
- Possession of a Class B Substance with Intent to Distribute
- Possession of a Class B Substance, two counts
- Conspiracy to Violate Drug Law
- Tampering with Evidence
