Bedford Drug Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison
BEDFORD — Chief John J. Bryfonski reports that a suspect who jumped from the window of a Bedford hotel room containing a large amount of drugs was sentenced to 10 years in prison upon being convicted of charges in U.S. District Court in New Hampshire.
On Oct. 16, 2020, Bedford Police Officers Adrien Dupuis was patrolling in the area of the Country Inn and Suites, 250 S. River Road, when he noticed and stopped two vehicles he believed were suspicious. Those motor vehicle stops led to the development of information that a guest in the hotel was possibly selling drugs and armed with a firearm.
Bedford Police worked to secure the area of the hotel room where the suspect was staying, and when they attempted to make contact with the suspect, the suspect attempted to flee by jumping out of a fourth floor window of his hotel room.
The suspect, identified as Michael Warner, 30, whose last known address was in Manchester, was injured in the fall from the window and treated on scene by Bedford Fire Department before being transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. Warner was also determined to be wanted on an arrest warrant for parole violation in connection with a previous robbery case.
Once Warner was transported from the scene for treatment, Officer Dupuis worked with Detective Amy Champagne to obtain a search warrant for the hotel room where Warner had been staying. Inside the hotel room, police located over 370 grams of methamphetamine, over 23 grams of fentanyl, over $9,000 in cash, and a Mossberg pistol with 28 rounds of ammunition.
Warner was charged in U.S. District Court in Concord with aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Warner was convicted in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, Feb. 21, and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
"On behalf of the Bedford Police Department and the Town of Bedford, I want to congratulate all involved in this case in achieving a just and righteous sentence for Mr. Warner, whose trafficking in controlled drugs continued unabated despite his prior record," said Chief Bryfonski. "This is precisely the kind of sentence required for this category and class of defendant, not only to address his flagrant and continued trafficking but also to send a strong message to dissuade others perhaps contemplating a similar life trajectory."
Chief Bryfonski and the Bedford Police Department would like to give special recognition to Officer Dupuis and Detective Champagne for their work on the case, and to thank Assistant U.S. Attorney Joachim Barth and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski for their prosecution of the case.