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

Heading: The Testimony of Detective Robert Tefft

Text: During defendant's trial, Robert Tefft, a detective in the Narcotics Unit Special Squad of the Pawtucket Police Department, testified that, on December 3, 2001, he and his partner, Detective Danny Dolan, met with Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Chris Grenier and defendant. The meeting was arranged for the purpose of discussing certain information about narcotics dealing of which Special Agent Grenier had been advised during an earlier meeting with defendant at a bar in Providence. During the December 3 meeting attended by Detective Tefft, Detective Dolan, Special Agent Grenier, and defendant, defendant revealed that Mr. Medeiros was dealing large quantities of marijuana. Detective Tefft recalled in his testimony that, during that December 3 meeting, defendant had related an incident in which he had asked Mr. Medeiros point blank if he was dealing marijuana and Mr. Medeiros had confirmed that he was in fact dealing marijuana. Detective Tefft further testified that defendant had indicated that his questioning of Mr. Medeiros about that subject had occurred two or three months prior to the December 3 meeting. According to Detective Tefft, defendant also stated during that meeting that Mr. Medeiros had smoked a marijuana cigarette in his presence; defendant added that he had recognized the odor as being that of marijuana. The defendant furnished Detective Tefft with additional information about Mr. Medeiros during the December 3 meeting: he provided the detective with Mr. Medeiros's cell phone number, and he revealed that he had ascertained Mr. Medeiros's voicemail security code and that he had listened to a number of messages on Mr. Medeiros's phone. He also advised Detective Tefft that Mr. Medeiros stored marijuana in his basement in East Providence; he added that Mr. Medeiros also kept the following items in his residence: video surveillance equipment, a safe, packaging paraphernalia, and proceeds from the sale of narcotics. He also told Detective Tefft that Mr. Medeiros had requested that he check the serial number of a particular firearm that Mr. Medeiros possessed in order to determine whether it had been reported as stolen; defendant informed the detective that he had checked twice and had learned that the firearm had not been reported as stolen. According to the testimony of Detective Tefft, defendant's stated reason for revealing the drug dealing operation of his friend was that he was tired of Dennis Medeiros making large amounts of monies dealing narcotics when he in fact as a police officer was making nowhere near what [Mr.] Medeiros was. However, when Detective Tefft offered defendant an opportunity to play a proactive role in the investigation of Mr. Medeiros, defendant declined. Detective Tefft observed in his testimony at trial that he thought it odd that the information would not have been brought to the Pawtucket Police Department    [and that defendant] decided to come forward with the information regarding    a very good friend of his. The detective stated: [The situation] [p]ut a lot of questions in my mind. Detective Tefft further testified that, at the above-referenced December 3 meeting, he informed defendant that an investigation would be opened concerning Mr. Medeiros, that the East Providence police department would be contacted, and that he would seek authorization for intercepting Mr. Medeiros's cell phone conversations.