BANGOR – A Frankfort man who was arrested with his wife six months ago with nearly 1,000 small bags of heroin in their vehicle was sentenced this week to eight months in prison.

James L. Northup Jr., 35, earlier pleaded guilty to possession of heroin. He was sentenced Thursday and remanded to jail. Northup has been in jail or in treatment since Feb. 17 when law enforcement officials arrested him and his wife in Liberty as they headed home from a trip to Rhode Island. He also is known as Travis Dyer, according to court records.

His wife, Melissa Northup, 42, whose maiden name is Melissa Dyer, changed her plea to guilty Aug. 17 to conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and aiding and abetting the commission of that crime. She is scheduled to be sentenced in about two months.

According to a court affidavit, the Northups were suspected for awhile of being drug dealers by Waldo County law enforcement officials. When the Maine State Police arrested them the evening of Feb. 17, two children, ages 3 and 9, were in the vehicle. They are believed to be the children of James Northup from a previous relationship.

A search of the van revealed 845 bags of heroin and $2,400 in cash. Melissa Northup later said she and her husband had traveled to Providence, R.I., Feb. 16 and purchased 20 bricks of heroin. One brick equals 50 bags and sells for $150 wholesale and about $360 retail. A total of $3,200 was paid for the heroin, according to the court affidavit.

Melissa Northup told police she and her husband both had used heroin before leaving for Maine. She stated she had used 50 bags of heroin Feb. 16 and she thought her husband had done the same. The next day they each used 15 bags of heroin. Melissa Northup, who has a teen-age son, told authorities she had been to Rhode Island twice that week to purchase heroin. Within days of her arrest, Melissa Northup and her husband were sent to separate long-term drug treatment programs in Massachusetts.