Heroin overdose in Brewer expected to yield more charges

BREWER – Authorities expect more charges will be brought against a couple connected with the near-fatal heroin overdose of a mother of three two weeks ago.

Sueheide Santiago, 24, was found on the couch of her Summer Street apartment on the evening of Feb. 24 in what Brewer police Cpl. Chris Martin said appeared to be respiratory arrest. Martin couldn’t feel her breath on his cheek when he went to check on her condition. Paramedics revived her and she began to struggle, grasping for her pocket, where investigators later found several bags of heroin, Martin said.

In one room of Santiago’s apartment, police found her three children, ages 4, 7 and 8.

Another room in the apartment contained evidence that it had been used as a distribution site for heroin brought in from Massachusetts or New Hampshire.

That room was padlocked from the outside and had been occupied by Richard Jenkins, 30, and Nicole Martin, 18, who fled the apartment before police arrived but who were subsequently arrested. It was Jenkins who police believe injected Santiago with the near-deadly dose of heroin.

He was charged Feb. 25 with furnishing heroin and Martin was arrested on a warrant. Cpl. Martin said Jenkins and Nicole Martin will face more charges from Brewer and from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. Jenkins could be charged with an elevated assault charge because of his role in the overdose, according to police.

“We still have business with them and we’ll be in touch,” Martin said. “They are not going to skate on just ” those charges.

Santiago was charged with possession of heroin, possession of a usable amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, after police found three bags of heroin in her pocket and another bag of marijuana, among other things. Her children were taken into state custody.

Once Santiago was in stable condition that Sunday night, police took the next step and began what would become an expansive investigation that may have ties to other states.

The apartment was secured by police until a search warrant was obtained and executed shortly before 1 a.m. Feb. 25, about 31/2 hours after police were first called to 23 Summer St. for the report of a heroin overdose.

Although the couple’s room was padlocked, police had seen drug paraphernalia through an exterior window. The warrant gained them access to the room and inside they found mail, W2 forms and other papers belonging to the couple as well as phone numbers to people police already knew to be involved with drugs, Martin said.

Several empty plastic bags like the ones found on Santiago were found inside and contained drug residue, Martin said. Also found was a needle containing heroin as well as a pipe, straw, forceps and other equipment used in packaging and using heroin.

And in what Martin said police in this area haven’t usually seen associated with heroin, investigators also discovered a readily available muscle supplement that they believed was used to dilute the heroin. There were no indications that the couple were into weight-lifting, Martin acknowledged.

It is apparently a common practice to mix the two in Massachusetts, Brewer police Cpl. Fred Luce learned after contacting authorities in that state as part of the expanding investigation. Police also learned that Nicole Martin had returned earlier on Feb. 24 with approximately 200 bags of heroin, each worth about $35 to $45 on the street.

A tip led police to the Day’s Inn in Bangor, where Jenkins and Martin were staying. Armed with a warrant, MDEA agents and Bangor’s Special Response Team raided the room and arrested both of them on Feb. 25.