Bristol County District Attorney Angry, Disturbed, After Having to Dismiss Drug Case Against Four Co-Defendants Due to Egregious Police Misconduct

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III has announced the dismissal of indictments against four individuals charged with drug-related offenses stemming from a 2017 wiretap investigation. The decision comes in response to serious misconduct by a former New Bedford police detective and concerns about the credibility of a key informant. Charges have been dropped against Steven Ortiz, Tommy Ortiz, Jason Darosa, and Katherine Espinal Parades. The dismissal was approved by the court following a motion filed by the DA’s office, which acknowledged that the investigation had been severely tainted by unethical behavior.

Tainted Investigation Linked to Officer’s Secret Relationship

At the center of the controversy is former New Bedford Detective Jared Lucas, who was previously found to have engaged in a seven-year, on-and-off sexual relationship with a confidential informant, Carly Medeiros. This relationship, which spanned the time of the 2017 investigation, was never disclosed in the warrant applications used to justify the wiretap and subsequent charges. In a previous case—Commonwealth v. Miguel Martinez—a judge determined that Lucas committed “gross misconduct” by using Medeiros as an informant without disclosing their intimate connection. The court also ruled that Medeiros was unreliable, with testimony marked by inconsistencies, falsehoods, and personal motives to manipulate investigations. These findings became a crucial reference point for the DA’s office in deciding to move for dismissal in the current cases. The court agreed, stating that the dismissals were the “appropriate” result under the circumstances.

Informant Deemed Unreliable in Both Cases

In the Martinez case, the court found Medeiros’s testimony to be deceptive and self-serving. The judge noted she had “many reasons to lie” and seemed to enjoy “causing the most damage.” Despite testimony from other detectives who denied knowledge of the relationship, the court ruled that Lucas’s failure to disclose it—and Medeiros’s lack of credibility—invalidated the probable cause used to obtain warrants. During hearings in December 2024 related to the 2017 wiretap investigation, similar evidence was presented. Witnesses testified that Medeiros’s tips were central to the warrants, and without them, the warrants would not stand. Lucas, who is now retired, invoked his Fifth Amendment right and declined to testify during the hearing.

DA Quinn Condemns Misconduct, Calls for Accountability

District Attorney Quinn expressed deep frustration with the outcome, stating that serious efforts and resources were invested into the investigation, particularly in tracking the Ortiz brothers, who had lengthy criminal records involving drug trafficking. “I am very angry and disturbed that the charges had to be dismissed because of the egregious police misconduct of former Officer Jared Lucas,” Quinn said. “His undisclosed sexual relationship with an informant compromised the integrity of the entire investigation. This kind of behavior erodes public trust in law enforcement, even as most officers continue to do good work under challenging circumstances.”