By Jessica Van Sack and Hillary Chabot
The Boston Herald
BOSTON — A Boston firefighter who is out on injury leave was apprehended Friday for allegedly buying OxyContin from a known dealer under police surveillance in South Boston, according to a law enforcement source.
William J. Boyle, 58, of Dorchester, will be summonsed to South Boston District Court for possession of a Class B substance, the source said.
According to a police report, Boyle was seen walking with a well-known dealer on the West Broadway Bridge and allegedly made the exchange with him while a detective from the District C-6 Drug Control Unit looked on.
“I didn’t do anything, I didn’t buy anything,” he allegedly yelled when approached by a detective, according to the police report. He allegedly then shouted, “I didn’t do anything, I am a Boston firefighter.”
He dropped a cellophane wrapper containing 5 Oxycontin pills but claimed at the scene that police planted them, according to the police report.
As the suspect struggled to get away, the detective enlisted the help of a nearby bus driver to tackle him to the ground, according to the police report.
Boyle, who has been a firefighter for more than 10 years, is the brother-in-law of BPD Superintendent Daniel Linskey.
“I’m very disappointed to hear of this news but will support my wife and her family through this,” Linskey said in a written statement. “Billy is a great guy who served honorably in Vietnam and on the Boston Fire Department. I hope this incident is the catalyst necessary to help him address his personal issues.”
No one answered the door at Boyle’s Dorchester home.
Boyle recently filed for retirement, said Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald.
“He has not worked in a fire house for over a year and he’s not coming back to work as a firefighter,” MacDonald said.
While at the station, Boyle allegedly admitted to cops that he paid $200 for the OxyContin pills, according to the police report. After he complained of back pain, police allowed him to leave to see his doctor and issued him a summons.
Later that day, Stephen Puglielli, 47, of Southie, was arrested at the Broadway T station on charges of drug dealing.
The incident is the latest in a series of black eyes for the fire department, which is embroiled in a contract dispute with the city. The city wants to implement random drug testing amid a flurry of accusations about abuse within the department.
Copyright 2008 The Boston Herald