Two Stories from Essex County District Attorney’s Office (Updated 3:30 p.m. / Sunday)
Authorities are charging a Lawrence man with supplying drugs to another person in police custody before that person died in their shared cell, Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker and Lawrence Police Head of Department Michael McCarthy announced Sunday.
Javier Garcia, 49, of 57 Brook St., Apt. 2, had been in custody himself at the Lawrence Police Department headquarters after being arrested this weekend for disorderly conduct.
Garcia will now face an additional charge of Distribution of a Class A Substance. He will be arraigned in Lawrence District Court as early as Monday morning.
Garcia was charged as authorities continue to investigate the death of Christian Marte-Martinez, 25, of 45 Fern St., Lawrence. He died early Saturday while in custody for disorderly conduct and malicious destruction of property.
Marte-Martinez was placed into a cell at police headquarters at 1:15 a.m. Saturday. Garcia was being held in the same cell.
About 5 a.m. Saturday, police discovered Marte-Martinez unresponsive. They began CPR and other life-saving measures before he was transported to Lawrence General Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
The incident remains under investigation by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office State Police Detective Unit and detectives from the Lawrence Police Department.
A Lawrence man was arrested Friday after authorities executed a search warrant and found drugs and ammunition in a city apartment, Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker announced.
Samuel Guzman Jr., 23, was charged with one count of trafficking fentanyl (100+ grams) and possession of ammunition without a Firearms Identification Card. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Lawrence District Court and was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail.
Earlier Friday, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office State Police Detective Unit, with assistance from the Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations Team, the State Police Gang Unit and the Lawrence Police Department, executed a search warrant at 11 Lawrence St, Apt. 601, Lawrence.
Besides locating Guzman Jr. and seizing the drugs and ammunition, the State Police detectives seized $3,672 pending forfeiture.
Guzman Jr. was represented during his arraignment by attorney Paul Farina of Andover.
