Man busted at Saugus hotel for intent to distribute after passing out behind wheel

SAUGUS – Police Officer Michael Richards thought something was strange when he pulled into the Red Roof Inn parking lot on routine patrol Tuesday and found a running car sticking out of a parking space.When he got closer, he noticed a man appeared to be passed out behind the wheel. He shined a spotlight on the man and eventually got out and banged on the window, only waking him up after several tries, police said.Richards reported observing a rolled up $10 bill and a broken baggie lying in the passenger seat while he tried to wake the man up. The driver finally arose and quickly grabbed the $10 bill, placed it in the center console and began to wipe his shirt, according to police.”At this time I noticed a white powdery substance, consistent with cocaine, on the black tank-top of Mr. Wetherbee,” Richards wrote in a police report.Matthew Wetherbee, 26, of 3 Robin Road, North Reading, was later arrested and charged with three counts of possession of a narcotic with intent to distribute. Detective Leonard Campanello said police would find a “sizeable quantity” of heroin, cocaine and $4,000 worth of Oxycontin, scales and baggies inside his hotel room after carrying out a search warrant.Officer Richards called for back-up after getting Wetherbee to exit his car. As Wetherbee was being questioned, he allegedly tried to run away from the Route 1 hotel.He ran about 30 feet before his shorts fell to his knees and he tripped over them, police said. The officer then physically took Wetherbee to the ground.Campanello says Stoneham police charged Wetherbee in June with trafficking OxyContin and other drug charges.”Mr. Wetherbee was conducting a criminal drug enterprise from his room at the Red Roof Inn,” Campanello said.Campanello, who serves on the Saugus police department’s Drug Enforcement Unit, says hotels in any town – not just Saugus – often draw drug dealers who can’t operate out of a home.”It’s a transient thing. They can get in and out quickly and can pay cash. It’s not expensive.” Campanello said. “A lot of these people don’t have a house to set up in so they use a transient location to stay anonymous.”Lynn District Court Judge Allen Swan ordered Wetherbee held on $5,000 cash bail at his arraignment Tuesday. He was ordered back to court Oct. 3 for a pre-trial hearing.