Benedicta man charged with trafficking pot

GRINDSTONE – When Bill Livezey and Troy Dauphinee of the Maine Warden Service decided to stray off Interstate 95 and do some routine fishing-license checks late last week, they suspected something fishy when they pulled into a rest area just off the Penobscot River.

Their instincts turned out to be correct and led to the arrest of a Benedicta man after he was allegedly found to have 6.3 pounds of marijuana and a chunk of cash in his vehicle.

Joseph Campbell, 43, was arrested and charged with unlawful trafficking of the drug after the wardens searched his truck and discovered the stash, along with $7,000 in cash.

He was taken to the Penobscot County Jail. Jail staff said Tuesday he has since been released.

Ironically, Livezey and another warden had arrested Campbell in 2003 for night hunting and possession of about 2 pounds of marijuana.

Livezey said he and Dauphinee had pulled into the rest area off Route 11 just after 2 p.m. when they noticed Campbell’s vehicle. The two had planned to make sure that only licensed fishermen were out on the water.

The warden said he immediately noticed the odor of marijuana when he approached Campbell and said that he was “acting nervous.” Soon after, he recognized Campbell as the person he had arrested more than two years ago.

The marijuana was discovered after a search of the vehicle.

The trafficking charge is a Class D felony. The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency assisted the wardens in their investigation.