MACHIAS - A Washington County grand jury Thursday indicted six people who were arrested in a Jan. 30 sweep spearheaded by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.MDEA, working with informants and surveillance, built a case for nearly a year against the Washington County residents, and in January the investigation culminated in arrests in the Baileyville and Calais areas. On Thursday, the grand jury indicted Albert "Junior" Harvey, 49, of Baileyville and charged him with one count each of trafficking in OxyContin and marijuana as a result of the Dec. 11, 2002, incident. Harvey, later released on bail, was charged Feb. 12 with possession of OxyContin and violation of condition of release. Fred Howard, 48, Troy Reynolds, 31, and Brian Rice II, 25, all of Baileyville, also were indicted and charged with trafficking in OxyContin. Howard's and Rice's violations allegedly occurred Jan 20, while Reynolds' alleged violation occurred Dec. 5, 2002. Devery Johnson, 31, of Calais was charged with trafficking in an amphetamine known on the street as Ecstasy in an alleged violation that occurred Jan. 23. The grand jury also indicted Jodi McLaughlin, 28, of Baileyville and charged her with furnishing OxyContin as a result of a Dec. 5, 2002, incident. Although the drugs of choice for years in Washington County were alcohol and marijuana, demand for addictive prescription drugs, especially OxyContin and Dilaudid, has grown considerably in the past four years. When used as prescribed, OxyContin and Dilaudid fight pain related to back injuries and terminal cancer. When diverted and abused, they produce a powerful high. Rachel A. Davis, 34, Grand Lake Stream, was indicted Thursday on one count of stealing drugs. Davis allegedly stole Percocet from the Eastport Memorial Nursing Home. The grand jury also indicted four people on charges of aggravated assault. Kimberly J. Gatcomb, 34, of Wesley was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of assault and one count of criminal trespass in connection with a Feb. 1 incident in East Machias. Gatcomb allegedly entered the East Machias home of her estranged husband, Michael Gatcomb, and used a kitchen knife to stab him and a woman who was staying at the home. Burton Smith Jr., 38, of Whitneyville was indicted on one count of aggravated assault for allegedly stabbing Kenneth Faas on July 21, 2002. Assistant District Attorney Carletta Bassano said Fass and Smith got into an argument at Smith's home and Smith allegedly stabbed Faas in the back when Faas went back into the house to get his keys. The grand jury indicted Peter Mallar Jr., 22, of Machias with three counts of aggravated assault for allegedly stabbing three men in a Machias apartment on Dec. 6, 2002. Mallar allegedly knifed the men when they attempted to keep him from entering the apartment where Mallar's ex-girlfriend was visiting. Tammy L. Newell, 30, Indian Township, was indicted on one count of aggravated assault in connection with a Sept. 3 incident in Indian Township. Newell allegedly used a knife to stab another woman in the face. Newell also was charged with failure to appear to answer a charge of operating after revocation. The grand jury also indicted the following: Todd C. Fullerton, 28, Augusta, theft, forgery and operating after revocation. Jill Patterson, 35, Baileyville, negotiating a worthless instrument. Robert Shawn Mackenzie,
24, Baileyville, failure to appear. CLOSE THIS WINDOW |