Judge Throws Out Beverly Drug Case

BEVERLY, MA -- Beverly Police Detectives Tom Nolan and Michael Cassola did not have the right to order Ruben Delorbe, 25, of Lynn, to get out of his car during a traffic stop last March, a Salem District Court judge ruled Thursday. As a result, the drugs found during the traffic stop are not admissible as evidence and drug charges against Delorbe were dropped. He is still facing charges of driving without a license and driving a vehicle with excessive tint, according to the Salem News, which first reported this story.

"In this case, Detectives Nolan and Cassola were acting on a mere, albeit correct in hindsight, hunch that the vehicle's occupants would be in possession of narcotics. Neither officer articulated a basis to believe that (either occupant) was armed or dangerous. The exit order was not justified, thus any evidence discovered as a product of this illegal order must be suppressed," Salem District Court Judge Robert Brennan wrote in his ruling dismissing the charges.

For more on this story, see the Salem News. Subscribe to Beverly Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

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