METHUEN (AP) - A Methuen city worker has been charged with selling prescription painkillers out of a city-owned vehicle.
Daniel Pomerleau was released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty at his arraignment in Lawrence District Court on Tuesday on drug possession charges.
He was suspended without pay from his at the city Public Works Department following his arrest. Authorities say he sold an undercover state trooper posing as a co-worker two oxycodone pills last month.
Prosecutors sought $5,000 bail, but Pomerleau's lawyer said his client has no criminal record and is not a flight risk. He said Pomerleau became addicted to painkillers after being hit in the face with a log on the job, causing injuries that required 18 surgeries.
He has worked for the city since 2003.
