Opinion ID: 2356128
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Some Necessary Background Information

Text: Dennis Medeiros [1] testified at trial and stated that he and defendant had been friends since high school, at which time they both resided in East Providence; he stated that they had come to know each other in the early 1980s and had become good friends. Mr. Medeiros explained that he and defendant had spent time at each other's homes during high school and that he was familiar with members of defendant's family. Even though their involvement with various girlfriends and with their careers had caused them to grow apart in the years after high school, they nevertheless continued to be still good friends. After high school, and while he and Mr. Medeiros were still friends, defendant became a police officer for the City of Pawtucket. A number of defendant's family members have also served as police officers in Rhode Island. Mr. Medeiros's career proceeded in a different direction: he became a marijuana dealer. Despite their activities on opposite sides of the law, however, Mr. Medeiros testified that he and defendant remained friends. On February 13, 2002, Mr. Medeiros was arrested and his residence was raided by the East Providence police. During the raid, the police recovered three pounds of marijuana, scales and paperwork related to the dealing of marijuana, and several firearms. In the course of the February 13 raid at Mr. Medeiros's residence, police also found defendant's police business card. When Mr. Medeiros learned that defendant had informed law enforcement officials of the drug business that Mr. Medeiros had been operating, Mr. Medeiros revealed to his police interrogators that defendant had previously assisted him with his marijuana dealing operation. Mr. Medeiros also told the interrogators that he had given defendant marijuana. Following Mr. Medeiros's revelation of this information about defendant, defendant was arrested and indicted on two counts of aiding and abetting the crime of possession with intent to deliver marijuana and on two counts of criminal solicitation of the delivery of narcotics.