Robbery leads to drug investigation

BANGOR – A Millinocket man was arrested Tuesday night in Orrington and charged with robbing a Corinna convenience store earlier this month. Authorities said Wednesday that the case has turned into a significant drug investigation involving OxyContin.

An air of secrecy surrounded the arrest and court appearance of 30-year-old Michael Scott, who was arrested at a Center Drive residence he had been renting in Orrington. Police from four agencies converged on the home at about 9 p.m. Tuesday and recovered several cases of cigarettes that had been stolen from the Big Apple Convenience Store on Nov. 6. The car Scott allegedly used in the robbery also was seized.

The store was robbed about 10:30 p.m. by a man wearing a nylon stocking over his head and carrying a wood-handled knife. Neither of the two store clerks was hurt.

The investigation, however, went far beyond an armed robbery and now involves other stolen property and the drug OxyContin.

Because of cooperation police received from some of those involved, prosecutors asked Judge Jesse Gunther on Wednesday to impound all of the court documents pertaining to the case.

Gunther agreed to a 30-day impoundment.

“We’re trying to keep these people who are cooperating anonymous right now,” said Deputy District Attorney Michael Roberts.

Scott has a lengthy criminal record, having been the focus of a major criminal investigation in 1989. He subsequently was convicted of four armed robberies and served several years in prison, Ross said. He currently is still on probation for those burglaries, Ross said.

Scott’s attorney, Joe Pickering of Bangor, initially objected to the impoundment, saying his client has the right to see the documents that outline the state’s case against him. Roberts agreed to allow Scott and Pickering to see the documents, but continued to object to the “world at large” being given access the records.

Gunther set bail for Scott at $100,000 surety or $5,000 cash, but the Department of Probation and Parole has ordered him held in jail pending a probation violation hearing.

On Wednesday, Ross said other items were seized from the Orrington house Tuesday, but he would not specify what those items were. He said other arrests were anticipated, but not necessarily anyone directly related to the Corinna robbery.

“This has led us into other areas,” Ross said. “And the case is very much active.”

The case remains under investigation by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Maine State Police, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department and the Violent Crimes Task Force.