Malden man indicted on narcotics charges

SALEM – A Malden man caught with narcotics inside a vehicle in Salem two months ago has been indicted by an Essex County grand jury.Kenneth L. Loftman, 45, of 50 Myrtle St., Apt., 3, faces charges of trafficking more than 14 grams of cocaine and unlawful possession of cocaine and marijuana.Following a month-long investigation, Loftman was arrested shortly before 1:00 p.m., on September 6 outside a home at 8 Arbella St., in Salem, where Loftman apparently was staying at the time.Police searched the 1997 Plymouth Breeze he was driving and reportedly seized 13 plus grams of cocaine from the trunk of the vehicle along with a number of packages of cocaine and a scale. Additional cocaine was found on his person and marijuana was located inside the vehicle, according to reports.Loftman faces a minimum mandatory punishment of 3-years in state prison, if convicted on the drug trafficking charge.Because he also has a prior drug conviction, he faces another 5-year mandatory prison term.Assistant District Attorney Marsha L. Slingerland is assigned to prosecute the case for the commonwealth.Salem Detective William Jennings spearheaded the investigation and arrest.The indictments handed up now move the case from Salem District Court, where he pleaded innocent, to Salem Superior Court, where he will be re-arraigned within a few weeks.