Judge orders clinician to evaluate man charged with felony

Dave Rogers, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.

Feb. 19—NEWBURY — A Newburyport District Court judge on Thursday ordered a court clinician to examine a homeless man accused of sending an obscene photo of himself to undercover police officers last month.

The order to determine whether Troy Drew is competent to stand trial on charges of sending obscene matter to a minor and distributing obscene matter came at the request of his attorney, Charles Nierman.

Drew, 33, last known to be living in his car in southern New Hampshire, turned himself in to Newbury police Jan. 27 after learning there was a warrant for his arrest. That warrant was issued in December, about the same time Georgetown police also issued a warrant for Drew's arrest.

Judge William Martin signed off on Nierman's request and scheduled a status date for March 5 — when a clinician will have likely examined Drew.

At Drew's arraignment, he was ordered held on $5,000 cash bail. He has been held at the Middleton Jail since then.

Essex County prosecutor Erin McAndrews said Drew began chatting with an undercover Newbury police officer in early December on the app Kik. Drew was in a chat area known to attract people looking to connect with young girls.

The undercover officer and Drew moved their chats to online Google hangouts and began to discuss sexual topics.

Eventually, a Georgetown police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl joined the conversation. At one point, Drew told the officers he would like to have sex with both of them at the same time. During the conversations, Drew sent an obscene photo of himself to the Newbury officer.

Based on the photo and the chats, both departments charged Drew and issued warrants for his arrest, according to McAndrews.

McAndrews said Drew admitted sending the photo and said if he had a driver's license, he would have met the officers "in a heartbeat."

Staff writer Dave Rogers can be reached at drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.

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