HOULTON, Maine — A wrong turn while traveling to see the musical group Phish in New York resulted in arrests and drug charges against two Aroostook County residents over the weekend. Charges also may be filed against two others in the vehicle, according to police.
The case began when an employee of Olympia Sports called police at 1:10 p.m. Saturday to report four individuals were in the store acting “peculiar or possibly impaired,” Houlton Police Chief Joe McKenna said Monday.
The store employees told police that the four had then gotten into a vehicle and turned left out of the parking lot heading toward downtown Houlton.
Officer Rick York soon spotted the vehicle near the intersection of North and Smyrna streets and was able to initiate a traffic stop due to a passenger not wearing a seatbelt. The vehicle pulled into the Sherwin Williams parking lot and the four individuals told the officer they were on their way Watkins Glen, New York, for a Phish concert.
The police chief pointed out that the vehicle should have turned right out of the Olympia Sports parking lot and toward Interstate 95 to get to the concert.
During the traffic stop, police discovered that the driver, Matthew Belden, 39, of Presque Isle, had a suspended license, according to McKenna.
He said police also found large quantities of assorted drugs, cash, a lockbox and electronic devices in the vehicle. The police chief said he could not divulge how much cash was in the vehicle but described it as “an excessive amount.”
McKenna said the initial tests on the pills, liquid and powder found in the vehicle indicated some of the drugs were methamphetamine. Undetermined items believed to be narcotics were sent to a lab to be identified.
Belden also was charged with operating under the influence and trafficking in scheduled drugs. A passenger in the vehicle, Garnett E. Page, 35, also of Presque Isle, was charged with possession of drugs with intent to distribute.
The two other passengers, a 39-year-old male and 23-year-old female, were not charged at that time, but could face charges as the case remains under investigation, the chief said.
Additional charges also may be levied against Belden and Page, McKenna said.
The vehicle was impounded by police.
Belden was taken to the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton, where he remained Monday afternoon. Page was released on bail Saturday.
