NORRIDGEWOCK — A 30-year-old man was arrested on drug charges Wednesday after more than two dozen bags of heroin were found in his car during a probation search by police.
The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joshua D. Wheaton, 30, of Norridgewock, on a probation hold at 9 a.m. on Main Street. He was also charged with possession of a schedule W drug and furnishing of a schedule W drug, both class C crimes.
Deputy Dan Armiger stopped Wheaton’s car, a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox, for a probation search, to which Wheaton is subject as part of his probation conditions, according to Sheriff Dale Lancaster. Wheaton is on probation for two previous convictions on charges of possession of scheduled drugs and burglary. Wheaton was arrested in January 2016 as part of a larger drug investigation in the county that ended in four arrests.
Police said they also found 14 methadone pills on Wheaton during a search.
During the search Wednesday, Armiger suspected there might be drugs and asked for help from the detective division and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Lancaster said.
When the officers searched the car, they found 29 bags of heroin. Each bag contained about one-tenth of a gram of the drug, Lancaster said, and the total amount of heroin was “just shy” of 3 grams.
The street value of the drugs is about $900, he said.
Wheaton was charged by police with furnishing drugs, not trafficking drugs. Lancaster said police still are waiting for test results to determine whether all they found is heroin, so a trafficking charge is possible, he said. A furnishing charge is given to someone with up to 2 grams of heroin, while trafficking is for 2 grams or more. Lancaster said they also are working with the district attorney’s office as the case develops,
Wheaton is being held at the Somerset County Jail in East Madison and is scheduled to be arraigned Friday.
Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239
mstamour@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @madelinestamour
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