Waltham teen pleads not guilty to 9 drug distribution charges

Thomas James Verdini, 19, of 25 Crescent St., Waltham, pleaded not guilty to five charges of possession with intent to distribute a class B drug, two charges of possession with intent to distribute a class C drug, charges of possession with intent to distribute class D and E drugs, and underage possession of liquor. He entered his not guilty plea at an Oct. 27 arraignment at Waltham District Court.

Verdini was arrested by Waltham police following an incident at the intersection of Lexington Street and Trapelo Road at 6:14 a.m. on Oct. 26.

According to the police report, officers responded to a call that a vehicle driving erratically had hit a curb and was stopped at a green light. Officers reported that the car was running with its brake lights on at the intersection and the driver, front passenger and rear passenger, later identified as Verdini, appeared to be asleep.

The police report also said that after officers woke up Verdini, he denied drinking alcohol but admitted to having smoked marijuana. Officers reported smelling marijuana coming from the vehicle and observing paraphernalia, burnt marijuana cigarettes and ground marijuana residue in the car.

Police said both the driver and Verdini became confrontational after exiting the vehicle and all three parties refused medical attention after Waltham firefighters arrived on scene.

Officers searched Verdini and located three small bottles of alcohol, a dab pen, a bag of various pills, a bag of green bar-shaped substances, a bag containing smaller bags of white powder, a bag of a small crystal-like substance, $80 in cash, $70 in cash folded over to distinguish it as money from drug sales, and one $20 bill rolled into a cylindrical shape, according to officers.

The report also stated that officers searched Verdini’s backpack and located a bottle of vodka, 13 nicotine vapes, a small glass container of a white powder, two small digital scales, a bag containing a large amount of small empty bags, a tube containing a small green bar, nine marijuana vape cartridges, five disposable cannabis vapes, two bags suspected to contain psilocybin mushrooms, a bag containing CVSHealth pill pouches, four bags of a green leaf-like substance, a methylphenidate transdermal patch, nicotine leaf wraps, cannabis infused gummies and a pharmacy pill bottle prescribed to somebody else containing a bag of white powder. The report also noted that police found his wallet containing $460.16 in cash and coins, miscellaneous foreign currency and a debit card belonging to somebody else.

Officers submitted the above items and Verdini’s cell phone as evidence.

Verdini is scheduled to appear at Waltham District Court for a pretrial hearing on Nov. 6.

Additional court actions

Luis Barrera, 30, of 56 Harvard St., Waltham, pleaded not guilty to assault and battery; assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; and intimidation of a witness, juror, police or court official at an Oct. 21 arraignment. Barrera was arrested by Waltham police following an incident at his home at 6:45 p.m. on Oct. 20. Barrera was released from Waltham District Court on the condition that he appear for a pretrial hearing on Dec. 4.

Marie Schneider, 43, of 38 Dermody Road, Waltham, pleaded not guilty to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person older than 60 and assault at an Oct. 27 arraignment. Schneider was arrested by Waltham police following an incident at Market Basket at 110 Market Place Drive at 11:03 a.m. on Oct. 26. She was released from Waltham District Court on the condition that she appear for a hearing to review status on Oct. 28. Waltham District Court Judge Ellen M. Caulo issued a warrant for Schneider’s arrest after she failed to appear for her hearing on Oct. 28.

Waltham District Court Judge Sarah Kennedy rescheduled an Oct. 30 probable cause hearing for Stephen McDonough, 60, of 251 Ridge Lane, Waltham. Kennedy also allowed the commonwealth’s motion to impound the file associated with McDonough’s case. McDonough pleaded not guilty to charges of possession of child pornography and distributing material of a child in a sexual act at a Sept. 26 arraignment. He is scheduled to appear at Waltham District Court for a probable cause hearing on Jan. 5.All information for this story was gathered from official court documents found at Waltham District Court and case information from masscourts.org.