CARIBOU — The Aroostook County grand jury completed its third session of 2012 on July 13 and handed down 56 indictments against 53 individuals.
Of particular note this session, according to District Attorney Todd R. Collins, was the fact there were two more individuals indicted for “trafficking” in methamphetamine — Jason Sirois and Michael Carpine. More accurately, they were “manufacturing” methamphetamine through a dangerous chemical process known as a “one-pot” cooking. This marks only the latest in a series of methamphetamine manufacturing cases that are being prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Office.
“In both the Sirois and Carpine cases, the incendiary mix of chemicals being ‘cooked’ into methamphetamine caught fire exposing the maker and the community to immediate serious bodily harm and significant property damage not usually associated with typical drug trafficking. It is a disturbing trend that we can only hope to minimize,” said Collins.
One tactic employed by the State of Maine over the years has been to limit access to “methamphetamine precursor drugs” by those looking to produce a dangerous recreational drug out of dangerous chemicals and some not-so-dangerous medicines. Pseudoephedrine is an essential ingredient of methamphetamine; it is also a medicine available without a prescription in many pharmacies, superstores, and markets. It used to be available over-the-counter, but the Maine Legislature put it behind the counter and required buyers to present ID and then limited the amount of pseudoephedrine that an individual could purchase during the course of a month.
“That worked — for awhile. Necessity being the mother of invention and pseudoephedrine being a necessity of methamphetamine manufacturing; industrious drug traffickers have resorted to using family, friends, acquaintances, and hired help in bypassing the legislative safeguards and gathering and collecting pseudoephedrine in several small, individual purchases by many people and pooling the collected pseudoephedrine so that it can be ‘cooked’ into meth,” said Collins.
The act of making these small, individual purchases of pseudoephedrine is known as “smurfing.” Smurfers will oftentimes be paid by the drug trafficker with cash or with the promise of some newly “cooked” meth. Collins said those that help a drug trafficker manufacture methamphetamine by purchasing and providing pseudoephedrine to the cook are complicit in trafficking methamphetamine, in fact and in the law.
“The Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office will be seeking to indict and prosecute as unlawful drug traffickers those individuals who facilitate the manufacture of methamphetamine by ‘smurfing’ pseudoephedrine — just as we will those who ‘cook’ the methamphetamine.” Collins said.
The unlawful trafficking of methamphetamine, whether by facilitating its manufacture or by manufacturing it, is a Class B Felony punishable by a maximum period of incarceration of 10 years in the state prison and by a $20,000 fine.
Among those indicted were:
Bruce R. King, 33, Houlton: assault with priors.
Justin S. Moulton, 28, Houlton: domestic violence assault; violating bail and violating protective order.
Christian M. McDonald, 24, Oakfield: operating after revocation and violating bail.
Glenn R. Kleinert, 34, Limestone: assault with priors.
Michael L. Tucker, 38, Houlton: assault with priors.
Greg W. Hitchcock, 39, Smyrna: domestic violence assault with priors and violating bail.
Timothy P. Small, 19, Smyrna: stealing drugs; burglary and criminal threatening.
Frederick R. Whitney, 40, Houlton: terrorizing.
Jonathan E. Lopez, 26, Presque Isle: failing to report.
Robert A. Rich, 25, Haynesville: theft and violating bail.
Clinton J. Michaud, 23, Ellsworth: theft.
Joseph A. Fallica, II, 21, Lamoine: theft.
Jesse L. Lewin, 20, Patten: aggravated cruelty to animals, violating closed season (two counts) and tampering with a witness.
Tanya M. Graham, 31, Houlton: aggravated operating after revocation and operating under the influence.
Michael C. Bennett, 20, Littleton: assaulting an officer; refusing to submit to arrest; violating bail; theft and failing to sign Uniform Summons and Complaint.
Michael J. Brewer, 55, Houlton: criminal threatening (three counts); threatening display of a weapon and reckless conduct.
Tonya L. Cowperthwaite, 31, Littleton: theft.
Michael Carpine, 34, Limestone: unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs and stealing drugs.
Stephen J. Tucker, Sr., 61, Monticello: theft by deception.
Joshua J. Merriam, 24, Presque Isle: theft.
Robert S. Gilliam, 26, Caribou: theft and violating condition of release.
Timothy Brecht, Jr., 31, Connor Twp.: theft.
Ricky C. Theriault, 27, St. Leonard, N.B.: unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs (two counts) and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.
Don W. Hanson, Jr., 31, Presque Isle: aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs; unlawful possession of scheduled drugs; violating condition of release and criminal forfeiture.
Gary L. Nightingale, 32, Old Orchard: forgery and theft.
Harrison R. Kilpatrick, 24, Limestone: theft.
Alton W. Bunker, 45, Fort Fairfield: criminal OUI and operating beyond license condition or restriction.
Jordan Jackson, 22, Fort Fairfield: burglary and theft.
Edward J. Wood, III, 36, Fort Fairfield: assault.
Bradley R. Voisine, 20, Fort Fairfield: unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.
Neil A. Nelson, 41, Stockholm: criminal OUI and violating condition of release.
Kevin M. Gibson, 25, Madawaska: theft.
Mark Brazier, 27, Mapleton: burglary and theft.
Dakota R. Michaud, 20, Hampden: burglary; and theft (three counts).
Bryce J. Bridges, 29, Blaine: gross sexual assault.
Allan R. Emery, 38, Caswell: burglary and stealing drugs.
Travis J. White, 27, Washburn: theft.
Dennis J. Clair, 34, Bridgewater: burglary and theft.
Teri L. Young, 44, Mars Hill: burglary and theft.
Jeri R. Nightingale, 28, Mars Hill: burglary and theft.
Philip D. Green, 38, Woodland: possession of firearm by prohibited person; receiving stolen property (two counts); unlawful possession of scheduled drugs and unlawful possession of synthetic hallucinogenic drugs.
John A. Sam, 23, Caribou: theft (two counts); possession of firearm by prohibited person, burglary and domestic violence assault.
Lance R. Ellison, 42, Woodland: criminal threatening, assault and possession of firearms by prohibited person.
Jonathan P. Wood, 50, Caribou: domestic violence assault and violating condition of release.
Keith I. Tingley, III, 26, Presque Isle: receiving stolen property (two counts).
John H. Barretto, 52, Caribou: criminal threatening and disorderly conduct.
Paul J. Jean, 46, Fort Kent: operating after revocation and OUI.
Christopher A. Brink, 29, Caribou: burglary and theft.
Brian D. Connell, 35, Limestone: unlawful sexual contact.
Eric Condon, 25, Easton: unlawful sexual contact (two counts).
Jason C. Sirois, 33, Van Buren: unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs and reckless conduct.
Jason E. Pitre, 29, Van Buren: unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs.
