SHREWSBURY — A routine motor vehicle stop for a missing inspection sticker escalated into a drug arrest on Wednesday after officers conducted a search with the help of a State Police K-9 Unit.
While monitoring traffic at the intersection of Parker Road and Great Road, local law enforcement noticed a vehicle heading eastbound on Great Road without the required inspection sticker.
The vehicle was subsequently stopped, and the operator’s responses to the officers’ questions raised suspicions.
The driver, who could not provide the name of the vehicle’s registered owner, referred to them by a street slang term instead.
The officers called for a State Police K-9 Unit to assist with the investigation.
The police dog signaled an alert on a blue backpack in the vehicle, which the driver claimed as his own.
Inside the backpack, officers found a crystal-like substance that they identified as narcotics based on their training and experience.
Tests confirmed the substance to be amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, both controlled substances.
Matthew Starbard of Worcester was charged with three counts of possession of Class B, Class C, Class E controlled substances.
Additionally, he faces a charge for violation of MGL c.90, s. 20 for operating a vehicle without an inspection sticker.
The arrest highlights the ongoing efforts by local police to combat drug-related offenses, which often begin with routine traffic stops.
