Meth-related charges still prevalent
By Jen Lynds
BDN Staff
CARIBOU — The Aroostook County grand jury handed down indictments against 25 individuals Friday, Dec. 9, and the majority of them once again were for crimes related to the possession, sale or manufacturing of drugs.
Dustin Murphy-Moran, 24, of Fort Fairfield, who was indicted for operating a methamphetamine lab out of his home, was among several people indicted on methamphetamine-related charges, according to an indictment list released Tuesday by Aroostook County District Attorney Todd Collins.
In October, Maine Drug Enforcement Agents found 71 plastic soda bottles inside Murphy-Moran’s residence at 567 Route 1A that allegedly had been used to make the drug, according to an earlier press release from Department of Public Safety Spokesman Stephen McCausland.
Collins said Tuesday he believes that the manufacturing of methamphetamine has “definitely” gotten worse this year.
“I don’t know what is making it worse, honestly,” he said. “If I did, then that would help us in making strides to put a stop to it.”
Fifty-six methamphetamine manufacturing and disposal sites were found last year, and 13 of them were in The County, according to Supervisory Special Agent Craig Holder of the MDEA’s Aroostook County Task Force.
“We have found approximately 124 methamphetamine manufacturing and disposal sites [statewide] so far this year,” he said Tuesday.
The figure includes the “one pot” or “shake and bake” method of manufacturing the drug, according to Holder. Individuals who manufacture the drug this way sometimes do so in a bottle and then discard it outside. Last spring, the sometimes still toxic remnants of methamphetamine manufacturing were discovered with increasing frequency in discarded bottles along roadsides in various communities, including at least a half dozen in Aroostook County.
At the same time, Holder said he believes that the manufacturing of meth has slowed down in the past six months, in part due to drug users “moving on to other drugs” such as heroin and crystal meth.
He credited DA Collins with helping to stem some of the tide of methamphetamine by asking pharmacies in The County to pull the cold medicine pseudoephedrine from their shelves and putting it behind the counter so that people seeking it have to show identification. The action was voluntary, according to Holder, and “most pharmacies” have complied.
“Some pharmacies are even requiring a prescription,” he said. “That has really helped us make a dent in the problem of meth manufacturing.
Others indicted by the grand jury this session were:
Steven L. Rogers, Jr., 29, Houlton, aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs.
Joseph M. Hartford, 33, Hammond Plantation, aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs.
Russell C. Henderson, 49, Houlton, aggravated assault.
Christopher A. Carr, 30, Houlton, domestic violence assault with priors.
Tyler J. Saucier, 30, Fort Kent, trafficking in prison contraband.
Samuel E. Heath, Jr., 26, Sherman, burglary, aggravated assault and aggravated criminal trespassing.
Quinn L. Harvey, 32, Mapleton, aggravated assault and elevated aggravated assault with a weapon.
Nathan Manning-Harris, 31, Presque Isle, unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs (two counts).
Alexsea J. Cholewa, 22, Presque Isle: unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs (two counts).
Akahenten Ferguson, 28, Bronx, N.Y., unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs (two counts) and criminal forfeiture of money.
Eric A. LaBreck, 31, Presque Isle, aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs, violation of condition of release and criminal forfeiture of money.
James C. Boyce, 33, South Portland, burglary (two counts), theft with priors (two counts) and criminal mischief (two counts).
Robert E. McKenzie, 22, Washburn, aggravated operation of a methamphetamine laboratory (two counts) and operation after suspension.
Crystal Smith, 22, Washburn, operation of a methamphetamine laboratory and aggravated operation of a meth lab.
Christopher G. McDevitt, 52, Houlton, possession of sexually explicit materials (four counts).
Bonnie Murphy, 60, Littleton, unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs and illegal importation of scheduled drugs.
Justin S. Ireland, 36, Caribou, unlawful operation of a methamphetamine laboratory.
Grace M. Rowland, 21, Fairfield, unlawful operation of a methamphetamine laboratory.
Caleb M. McLellan, 25, Eagle Lake, theft by unauthorized taking.
Ryan D. Cobb, 31, Danforth, conspiracy to commit operation of a methamphetamine laboratory.
David N. Cobb, 68, Danforth, conspiracy to commit operation of a methamphetamine laboratory.
Sandra L. Shain, 54, Bancroft, conspiracy to commit operation of a methamphetamine laboratory.
Darrin N. Cobb, 29, Houlton, conspiracy to commit operation of a methamphetamine laboratory.
Ashley L. Quint, 30, Houlton, burglary, theft with priors and criminal mischief.
