Gloucester District Court

By Jessica Benson
Staff Writer

July 26, 2008 12:05 am

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Twice in less than a month, Mark D. Robinson was found unconscious on a bathroom floor after shooting up heroin, police say.

Both times, he was charged with possession of a class A controlled drug, heroin. And he was already facing a charge for another heroin overdose five months before.

Now, the 43-year-old homeless man will spend the next year in jail for the three separate drug possession cases, plus another charge of breaking and entering for an incident last fall.

Robinson was arrested on outstanding warrants for those four cases on Thursday night, after police spotted him going into a shelter in Gloucester. He was brought before Judge Joseph Jennings yesterday morning.

Jennings found him guilty on all four charges, and sentenced him to one year in the Essex County House of Correction.

According to police reports, Robinson was first found unconscious on the floor of a bathroom last August at Capt. Carlo's restaurant. He was taken to the hospital and advised to get treatment for his drug addiction.

In October, police encountered Robinson again after he set off a burglar alarm at Papa Gino's. Officers found him in the doorway, where he claimed he had gone into the restaurant in an attempt to keep warm.

Then, on Jan. 6, Robinson was found on the floor of a bathroom at Hancock House, a hypodermic needle laying beside him. He wasn't breathing, but was revived with an injection of Narcan, a drug used to combat the effects of an opiate overdose, police reports indicate.

Just weeks later, on Jan. 29, he was found on the floor of another bathroom, this time at the McDonald's on Maplewood Avenue. Though this time he denied doing any drugs, but a hypodermic needle was found on the floor underneath him. He was once again revived with a dose of Narcan.

Two charges of assault and battery against Peter Jensen, 32, of 123 The Heights, Gloucester, were continued without a finding for two years by Judge Jennings yesterday.

Jensen had been arrested at his workplace in Salem on June 15, after his wife complained that he had pushed her and punched her in the leg, leaving behind a softball-sized bruise, according to the police report.

Jensen was ordered to pay $50 to the Victim-Witness Assistance fund and abide by all restraining orders and rules imposed on him by the Department of Social Services.

A 19-year-old will have to perform 100 hours of community service — while also finding time to look for a job and get his General Equivalency Diploma as part of the sentence Judge Jennings imposed on him for charges of dealing drugs in Gloucester.

Gloucester police said they had been watching Nicholas W. Verga, of 4 Rio Drive, Gloucester, for a few months prior to his arrest last December. They had been tipped off that Verga was selling different types of prescription pills out of his home.

Undercover police say they bought $100 worth of Vicodin pills from him on one occasion, and $100 worth of Oxycontin on the day of his arrest. After arresting Verga, police seized his cell phone, which was getting numerous calls from people seeking pills and marijuana, according to the police report. However, the phone was turned off as soon as Verga was bailed out of jail.

The charges of distributing a class C controlled drug (Vicodin), distributing a class B controlled drug (Oxycontin), and possession of a class B controlled drug with the intent to distribute were all continued without a finding for two years. Verga was ordered to pay $50 to the VWF and obtain counseling, in addition to his community service requirement and orders to seek employment and his GED.

Thomas B. Frontiero, 19, of 6 Lewis Court, Gloucester, was ordered to pay a $100 fine after being found responsible for a charge of driving an unregistered motor vehicle. Another charge of driving a car without insurance was dismissed.

Police said they had seen his Toyota pick-up truck parked at St. Peter's Park on April 20. Police ran his plate through their computer, found the registration was revoked, and sent him a summons to court. Frontiero appeared before Judge Jennings yesterday.