Worcester, MA (February 3, 2012) - On Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at approximately 7:50 PM members of the Shooting Response team along with members of the Gang Unit executed a search warrant for 60 Providence Street, apartment #3. Officers entered the apartment and identified themselves. At the same time, officers had secured the outside perimeter of the apartment building. Officers observed a third floor window open and a male subject discard a plastic bag which fell to the ground. Officers retrieved the bag which contained marijuana. Officers inside the apartment made contact with and secured Mark Padilla, 17 years old who resides in the apartment. Officers then observed Xavier Ortiz, 23 years old, also of the same address, walking out of a bedroom with an open window, the same window that the marijuana was thrown out of. Mr. Ortiz was secured and both men were searched for weapons. The search of Mr. Padilla produced a pill bottle which contained 7 more individual bags of marijuana. The search of Mr. Ortiz produced $473.00 in cash.

Once the two suspects were secured officers searched the apartment and discovered a digital scale, plastic baggies used for packaging the marijuana and other paraphernalia.

Mr. Ortiz and Mr. Padilla were transported to police headquarters for processing. The cash was turned into the vice squad while the marijuana was secured for analysis. Both men were arraigned at the Worcester County District Courthouse on Thursday, February 2, 2012.

 www.worcesterma.gov/police