OAK BLUFFS — Two off-duty Oak Bluffs firefighters came to the aid of a state police trooper after a traffic stop last week led to a fight, according to a state police report.
Trooper Dustin Shaw pulled over a Honda Ridgeline pickup truck with two occupants at around 5:45 p.m. Jan. 4 after a check showed the driver's right to operate a motor vehicle was suspended, the report says.
When the driver, Richard Anderson, 40, was asked to get out of the vehicle, he turned and tried to retrieve an item from the center console, the report says. In fear that Anderson was trying to get a weapon, Shaw opened the door and ordered him to show his hands, according to the report. Anderson then cupped his hands to his mouth and swallowed something, the report says.
Shaw took hold of Anderson's jacket and removed him from the vehicle, the report says. Anderson grabbed the trooper's uniform shirt and they both fell onto the roadway, at one point rolling over the double yellow centerline into passing traffic, according to the report.
Off-duty Oak Bluffs Fire Chief John Rose and EMT-firefighter David Smith happened to be driving by. They pulled over and helped Shaw get Anderson under control and into handcuffs, the report says.
Other state troopers then arrived to help.
During a search of the vehicle, police found $700, a plastic bag containing a white powdery substance believed to be cocaine, and two cellphones, the report says.
Anderson pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday in Edgartown District Court to charges of assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He also was cited for failure to wear a seat belt.
When he posted bail after his arrest, Anderson returned to the state police barracks in Oak Bluffs saying he wanted his cellphones back, the report says.
After troopers explained that the phones were seized as evidence, Anderson raised his hands in the air and stated, "I'll admit that cocaine was mine. I'm guilty of that. But it's for personal use," the report says.
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