Several criminal cases in Worcester County were recently dropped after a judge ruled that recordings made by Massachusetts State Police violated wiretapping laws. Fitchburg District Court First Justice Christopher LoConto determined that troopers had used a smartphone app during undercover drug stings without obtaining warrants, stating that the recordings were not made for officer safety, but rather for evidentiary purposes and to induce cooperation from individuals struggling with addiction.
According to the Telegram & Gazette, around a dozen cases were affected by this ruling, with notices to drop charges filed in both Superior Court and district court cases. District Court Office Attorney in Charge Jacqueline Dutton indicated that “six or eight” cases in Superior Court and half a dozen in district court had been dropped as a result.
The decision to drop these cases came during a hearing on low-level drug offenses, and the specific details of the cases affected were not disclosed. The Telegram & Gazette reported that the recordings made by State Police were at the center of the controversy, as they were deemed to be in violation of wiretapping laws.
MassLive has reached out to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr.’s office for further details regarding the dropped cases and any potential consequences for the troopers involved. The legal ramifications of this ruling on future cases and law enforcement procedures remain uncertain.
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