Grand jury indicts man on first local bath salts charge - VillageSoup Belfast

Belfast — A local man who was arrested on several charges in October — including a charge of possession of the hallucinogenic drug known as bath salts — was one of 36 people to be indicted by the Waldo County Grand Jury this week.

Jay Drinkwater, 47, of Stockton Springs was indicted on charges of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (Hydrocodone), unlawful possession of hallucinogenic drugs, falsifying physical evidence, refusing to submit to arrest or detention and violating conditions of release.

Drinkwater was arrested in Belfast the night of Monday, Oct. 3 following a traffic stop on High Street. Police executed the stop after receiving an anonymous tip that the man who was driving the vehicle that Drinkwater was riding in was operating without a license.

Once the vehicle was stopped, the officers reportedly noticed the occupants were moving around inside the vehicle in a way that suggested they were trying to hide something.

After a search of the vehicle and its occupants was completed, police reportedly found that Drinkwater was in possession of pills that were not prescribed to him, and discovered Drinkwater had another substance on his person that he neither could nor would identify for the officers.

The substance was sent to the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory to be tested and identified because officers do not have a way of conducting on-site tests to confirm whether a material is indeed bath salts.

Throughout the traffic stop, according to police, Drinkwater continued his alleged attempts to conceal items that were in his possession and acted in a panicky manner that indicated he did not want to go with police at the time of his arrest. Drinkwater, as well as two additional individuals who were in the vehicle with him, were all arrested (the other two on charges not related to bath salts) and transported to the Waldo County Jail.

According to Wikipedia, bath salts is a psychoactive drug with stimulant properties that was sold in the United States as a legal drug alternative. It produces effects that are similar to those of cocaine, methylphenidate, and amphetamines, and include rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, insomnia, chills and sweating, paranoia, psychotic delusions, extreme anxiety with occasional progression to violent behavior and suicidal thoughts or actions.

Bath salts were banned in Maine in June, but possessing the drug was categorized as a civil offense and dealers faced a misdemeanor charge. That changed when the law was amended to make possession a misdemeanor and trafficking a felony.

The day after Drinkwater's arrest, police reported that if the tests came back showing the presence of bath salts, Drinkwater would then face the unlawful possession of hallucinogenic drugs charge in addition to the initial charges he incurred on the night of Oct. 3.

The grand jury also indicted 35 additional individuals on the following charges:

Dakota D. O'Brien, 18, of Searsport, theft by unauthorized taking;

Gregory R. Giasson, 19, of Sidney, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs;

Justin M. Clark, 20, of Searsmont, theft by unauthorized taking;

Jessica A. Johnson, 25, of Searsport, burglary, theft by unauthorized taking;

Peter Richardson, 50, of Stockton Springs, burglary, theft by unauthorized taking, criminal mischief, violating conditions of release;

Jason D. Trefethen, 34, of Searsport, domestic violence assault, illegal possession of hypodermic apparatuses, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs;

Donald H. Resh, 36, of Searsport, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, marijuana cultivation;

Ellery G. Pomeroy, 61, of Searsport, criminal operating under the influence, driving to endanger, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs, trafficking in prison contraband;

Patrick Quinn, 37, of Camden, burglary, theft by unauthorized taking;

Justin A. Cunningham, 18, of Frankfort, three counts of theft by unauthorized taking;

Ryan A. Chase, 20, of Sidney, three counts of burglary, one count of theft by unauthorized taking;

Jesse T. Grinnell, 22, of Lincolnville, operating after revocation, forgery, theft by unauthorized taking;

Neil J. Warren, 24, of Waldo, burglary, theft by unauthorized taking;

Dwain Moody, 44, of Brooks, theft by unauthorized taking;

Daniel Lyford, 21, of Frankfort, criminal threatening;

James T. Ford, 34, of Dixmont, trafficking in prison contraband, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs, criminal operating under the influence;

David L. Orcutt, 39, of Prospect, aggravated assault, assault;

Amber M. Curtis, 20, of Plymouth, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, domestic violence assault, refusing to submit to arrest;

Martinique Merrill, 34, of Newport, operating after revocation, aggravated criminal operating under the influence, driving to endanger, unauthorized use of property, refusing to submit to arrest, disorderly conduct;

Todd L. Morales, 39, of Warren, burglary, theft by unauthorized taking, criminal mischief;

Daniel D. Flood, 37, of Brooks, burglary, theft by unauthorized taking;

Dean E. Spaulding, 33, of Troy, burglary, theft by unauthorized taking, violating conditions of release;

David G. Seekins, 36, of Winslow, burglary, theft by unauthorized taking;

Frank J. Leathers Jr., 26, of Belfast, assault;

Dylin P.B. Knight, 18, of Belfast, assault, refusing to submit to arrest, two counts of terrorizing;

Camron S. Mitchell, 31, of Lewiston, criminal operating under the influence, aggravated operating after habitual offender revocation;

Derek Pomeroy, 34, of Bucksport, refusing to submit to arrest or detention, two counts of unlawful trafficking in schedule Z drugs (marijuana), one count of unlawful possession of schedule W drugs (Methadone);

Allen Holt, 39, of Winterport, unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs (Oxycodone);

Joanne Bernatche, 61, of Winterport, unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs (Oxycodone);

Andrew Flanary, 52, of Brooks, aggravated cultivation of marijuana;

Elizabeth Peabody, 27, of Belfast, unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs (Adderall) and two counts of unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs (Hydrocodone);

Latisha Wing, 42, of Swanville, aggravated trafficking in schedule W drugs (Methadone);

Gary McClure, 58, of Palermo unlawful possession of schedule Z drugs (marijuana) and aggravated cultivation of marijuana;

Robert Stevens, 45, of Troy, cultivation of marijuana, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, criminal forfeiture of three firearms, and;

Adam Lynn, 31, of Monroe, marijuana cultivation and unlawful possession of schedule Z drugs (marijuana).

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