PORTLAND, Maine — Skowhegan police said Sunday they recovered thousands of dollars in cash, a firearm, and illicit drugs following a search of a car overnight as part of an ongoing investigation stemming from an incident Thursday night, during which five individuals in ski masks reportedly evaded police.
Skowhegan police, Somerset County sheriff's deputies, and Maine State Police first responded at about 10 p.m. Thursday to a report of an incident involving individuals wearing ski masks near a vehicle, Skowhegan police Chief David Bucknam told NEWS CENTER Maine late Friday afternoon. When they were approached by police, they reportedly fled. Police recovered two handguns near the vehicle at that time.
Then on Friday during a traffic stop on Middle Road in Skowhegan, police arrested five people on charges that include class A felony aggravated trafficking in drugs and class B felony trafficking in scheduled drugs.
- Katia Graves, 33, of Pittsfield
- Kenneth McCoullum, 31, of Westbrook
- Jamarie David, 23, of Springfield, Massachusetts
- Jessica Tower, 32, of Madison
- Malachi White, 20, of Dorchester, Massachusetts
Police allegedly seized 17.5 grams of heroin, 50.9 grams of crack cocaine, 15.2 grams of cocaine HCL, and 34.4 grams of fentanyl, with an estimated street value of $9,000, as well as $4,002 in cash from the vehicle and those in it.
Police said Sunday they executed a search warrant of a gray 2018 Audi A4 from Dec. 31 into Jan. 1 that led them to discover a handgun, about $10,700 in cash, and about 286 grams of suspected heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl, Bucknam said in a Facebook post.
“This investigation is still ongoing, and I am extremely happy to see these drugs off the streets,” Bucknam wrote. “This seizure is a huge hit to the individuals suffering from opiate addiction and I want to let everyone know we can help."