Man pleads guilty in heroin case

MACHIAS – An East Machias man pleaded guilty to two Class B counts involving heroin trafficking Tuesday in Washington County Superior Court.

David Hickman, 21, was one of three men arrested last December after a three-day selling spree in Machias. He has been held in the Washington County Jail since his arrest last New Year’s Eve.

With Norman Tofflon of Machias as his attorney, Hickman admitted his guilt to a pair of Class B counts, conspiracy to commit aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs and attempted aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs.

Four additional related counts were dropped by the district attorney’s office as part of Hickman’s agreement to plead guilty.

The date for Hickman’s sentencing has not been set.

One of the men working alongside Hickman last December, Charles Duggan, pleaded guilty last February for his involvement in the scheme to sell more than 60 packets of heroin and – for $25 a bag – gain quick money. Duggan’s sentencing is expected to take place later this week.

Both men have been jailed since last December.

The third man arrested on the charges, Pablo Figuroa, heads into a second day of a jury trial today on six counts related to heroin sales. Justice E. Allen Hunter is hearing the case.

Ann Hayward, the Washington County Superior Court associate clerk for nearly 25 years, believes this is the county’s first-ever trial for trafficking in heroin.

After Hickman’s conviction on Tuesday, both he and Duggan served as key witnesses against Figuroa. Their testimony and that from others told of heroin sales taking place in hotel rooms, a wreath-making operation and a trailer park.

Duggan and Figuroa both come from New Hampshire. Hickman had met Duggan in New Hampshire a few years ago, and Duggan had suggested to Figuroa that by traveling to Machias, they could draw on his old connections and distribute the heroin.

Brian Mahany, an Augusta attorney representing Figuroa, asked the judge at the day’s end to dismiss the charges against his client, or else to strike the testimony of all the witnesses except that of two drug agents.

Mahany argued that all of the prosecution’s lay witnesses had poor recollections and inconsistent stories. The judge denied both motions, saying that there appears to be sufficient evidence that would support convictions on all of Figuroa’s charges.

“While there may be inconsistencies, what the witnesses have to say seems real,” Hunter responded. “It does present the jury with some questions, and it’s there for the folks in the jury box to decide.”

The trial resumes today at 9 a.m.