Officer spots pedestrian stashing pot in his pants

A Brewer man was arrested early Wednesday morning after a police officer watched him stuff a bag of marijuana down his pants.

Rodney Copeland, 35, had been walking down Holyoke Street at about 1:30 a.m. when he was approached by a Brewer police officer who had been investigating burglaries in the area. Copeland allegedly saw the officer coming and quickly put something down his pants.

He was issued a summons for possession of marijuana and then was arrested for violating bail conditions after the officer discerned that Copeland had been drinking.

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In light of a recent rash of burglaries in Brewer, Sgt. Chris Martin urged residents to take the initiative in reporting suspicious behavior to police immediately.

“We’re looking for people to make sure their residences are secure, but we also want residents to call us if they see anything out of the ordinary,” Martin said. “A lot of times people see things but don’t bother to call. We don’t mind checking; that’s what we’re here to do.”

The Brewer Police Department phone number is 989-7004.

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A Bangor property owner reported Wednesday that several items, including a lawn mower, were stolen from a vacant residence on Sunset Avenue.

The woman told Bangor police Officer Brandon Vafiades that she checked on the property Tuesday and noticed that items were missing when she returned Wednesday morning.

Vafiades did not see any sign of forced entry into the building, according to his police report, but in speaking to neighbors the officer learned that the area is frequented by teenagers, his report stated.

The residence was added to the Police Department’s cruiser checklist.

– Compiled by BDN reporter Eric Russell