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At 12:30 AM Tuesday, June 6, 2023, Trooper Cody Weaver, who is assigned to the State Police-Charlton Barracks, observed a black Infiniti G35 sedan traveling eastbound on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Auburn at an extremely high speed. He pulled behind the Infiniti and clocked its speed at 93 mph in a posted 65 mph zone. Trooper Weaver activated his lights and stopped the Infiniti at Mile Marker 95 in Millbury.
The two occupants, both males from Gloucester, told the Trooper they were returning from Hartford, Conn., where they had gone to look at a truck despite the late hour. After initially consenting to a search of the vehicle, the operator, identified as PETER HORNE, 59, of Gloucester, then changed his mind and refused consent to a search. The Trooper observed that the passenger, identified as JOSE AGUSTO BAEZ, 31, of Gloucester, showed signs of being nervous and was looking into the backseat. A query revealed that the vehicle was registered to a Gloucester woman and that both HORNE and BAEZ had previously been charged with narcotics offenses.
When assessing the men’s stated reason for being on the road in the middle of the night, the passenger’s behavior, their criminal histories, and the use of a third-party vehicle, Trooper Weaver determined that there was reasonable suspicion to believe there may be narcotics in the car. Trooper Greg Valentine from the State Police K9 Unit and his partner, Kyber (pictured), responded to assist in the investigation. Trooper Valentine deployed Kyber on sniffs of the exterior and interior of the Infiniti.
Once inside the car, Kyber immediately jumped into the rear seat and showed interest in a middle compartment, located behind a large speaker box. In the trunk, where an even larger speaker took up almost the entire trunk, Kyber again showed extreme interest in the area, so much so that he tried to jump into the trunk several times even though there was no room for him given the size of the speaker. Trooper Valentine then searched the area of Kyber’s interest by hand and found a purple drawstring bag hidden between the back seat middle compartment and the trunk. Inside the bag, Trooper Valentine located suspected powder cocaine and suspected rock cocaine. The powder was weighed at approximately 772 grams and the rock at approximately 202 grams.
Troopers transported PETER HORNE and JOSE AGUSTO BAEZ to the State Police-Charlton Barracks, where they were booked on charges of trafficking cocaine, 200 grams or more; possession with intent to distribute a Class B narcotic; and conspiracy to violate drug laws. HORNE was also issued a citation for speeding.