Two face drug charges after Columbia raid

COLUMBIA – Two people who have been charged in Newport in connection with the Harley and Hog prostitution ring now face drug charges in Washington County as the result of a routine police check to see if they were meeting the conditions of their bail.

On Friday, agents of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, along with Maine State Police troopers, went to the home of Michael Stanley, 41, and his girlfriend, Deborah Sinclair, 33, on the Georgetown Road in Columbia, Darrell Crandall, supervisor of the Houlton Task Force Office, said Tuesday.

The two were charged Friday with unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs, cocaine, after the search of their home. The trafficking offense is a Class B felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Crandall explained that police went to the couple’s home in Columbia “to exercise court-imposed conditions of bail, which allows law enforcement to search the premises for illegal drugs and other items.”

Stanley was out on bail for a March 2 arrest in which he was charged with operating a motor vehicle after being declared a habitual offender. Sinclair posted bail March 13 for allegedly engaging in prostitution. When released on bail, both agreed to submit to random searches of their residences.

When the officers arrived, Stanley fled, in his bare feet, into a wooded area behind the home. A Washington County Sheriff’s K-9 unit was called. “The K-9 team located Stanley, and he was returned to the home,” Crandall said.

Items found during the search included a Tupperware container with approximately 17 packages of a granular mixture police suspected to be cocaine with a street value of about $2,000. Also seized were electronic scales, a large quantity of prescription narcotics, a small amount of marijuana and more than $1,300 in cash suspected to be proceeds of drug distribution, Crandall said. MDEA officials still were attempting Tuesday to establish the street value of the prescription narcotics.

Newport police know the couple as Harley and Hog. In March, they were arrested and charged with running a prostitution business in Newport.

One of their business cards, which said that “Harley and Hog” could “fulfill your fantasies” for couples, males or females, ended up in the hands of police during a local law enforcement sting operation. The cards, which reportedly were widely distributed in the community, advertised exotic dancers, reasonable rates and discretion. The couple used a cell phone to set up arrangements with clients.

Newport police also seized a quantity of OxyContin with a street value of $40 a pill. Police would say only that it was more than 10, but fewer than 100 pills.

The couple appeared in 4th District Court in Calais Tuesday afternoon on a charge of unlawful trafficking. Bail for Stanley was set at $25,000 single surety or $2,500 cash. Sinclair’s bail was set at $15,000 single surety or $1,500 cash. Stanley and Sinclair are expected to appear in Newport District Court on the prostitution charges this morning.

The pair remained in Washington County Jail on Tuesday evening.