ATHOL — A Fitchburg woman faces a new charge in Orange District Court after authorities learned she provided a false name when arrested for drug possession in August.
Alyssa Collins, 27, is now being charged with misleading a police investigation, in addition to possession of a Class A drug (heroin) possession of a Class B drug (cocaine) and intimidation of a witness/juror/police/court official.
Collins pleaded not guilty at arraignment on Monday. She was arraigned under the false name on Sept. 1.
On Sept. 7, a woman called the Athol Police Department and said the woman arrested on Aug. 31 had been processed under her name. She said Collins’ mother called to inform her of this. The woman said Collins was a childhood friend and neighbor. Athol Sgt. Jarrett Mousseau reported he confirmed this story after seeing a booking photograph of Collins sent from the police in Fitchburg, where Collins had an active warrant for her arrest.
Collins was arrested under the false name on Aug. 31, after Athol Police received a report of a woman “slumped over” inside a vehicle with a Minnesota license plate.
Officers Corey Brown and Scott Dubrule stopped the vehicle and made contact with the woman inside. According to court documents, Mousseau arrived on scene and saw in the woman’s purse a metal spoon with some white residue and a small, used cotton ball stuck to it. Based on his training and experience, he believed the cotton ball and spoon contained heroin residue. Mousseau also reported seeing a clear plastic bag with more apparent heroin residue in a smaller black purse in the vehicle. He located the spoon and plastic bag and several other plastic bags he believed to hold cocaine. He also found four capped needles. Collins was then arrested.
Collins has a pretrial conference scheduled for Oct. 11.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 258
On Twitter: @DomenicPoli