Charges loom in pot-growing case

ABBOT VILLAGE – Charges are imminent against at least one person involved in cultivating two large crops of marijuana that were discovered Wednesday just southeast of Abbot Village, authorities said Friday.

Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department deputies have not made any arrests but did execute a search warrant on a dark green Nissan pickup truck that was found in the area of the illegal plants.

“As a result of the search warrant, we found some evidence that would connect it to the marijuana operation itself,” said Piscataquis County Sheriff John Goggin.

“There will be charges brought against at least one individual at some point,” Goggin said. “I can’t identify him yet because we don’t know if we’re going the arrest warrant avenue or for a grand jury indictment.”

The pot plants were first spotted around noon on Wednesday by a Maine Army National Guard helicopter pilot who was returning from conducting a surveillance detail at the Canadian border.

As the pilot hovered over the plants so law enforcement personnel could find the area, he spotted two individuals tending to the marijuana. A canoe and the pickup truck were seen in a nearby cornfield.

Just before deputies and two Maine Drug Enforcement Agency agents arrived at the scene, the helicopter went down, apparently due to mechanical reasons.

The Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopter landed hard in a nearby sand pit and was considerably damaged, but the pilot walked away from the crash.

When the helicopter went down, the two people. When the officers arrived at the scene, they found 364 marijuana plants and the canoe, which they confiscated.

Goggin said the marijuana operation was extensive. He said the owners had cleared the land and fertilized the plants, and had fenced the area and placed mothballs around to deter animals from eating the crop.

“We took a sampling of [a number of] plants out of each plot that were taken to the lab for chemical analysis,” Goggin said. “The excess plants are destroyed.”

The plants were found between Route 15 and what is known as the Back Abbot Road, which runs adjacent to the Piscataquis River.

“It’s known as the Interval Area,” said Goggin. “There are three bodies of water that come together there: the Piscataquis, Kingsbury Stream and Brown Brook.”

The location is approximately one mile from the center of Abbot Village.

The downed helicopter is being guarded, and the investigation continues, according to Goggin.

“We work extensively with the Air National Guard in marijuana eradication programs,” he Goggin.

“They help spot marijuana from the air and help direct officers to the area,” he said. “We’ve worked with this pilot for years, and he’s always done a good job. We certainly hope all goes well for him.”