OLD TOWN – More than a dozen people were summoned for misdemeanor alcohol and drug offenses last week in an effort to curb underage drinking and drug use.

The special detail that worked the overnight shifts Thursday, Friday and Saturday included the Police Department’s canine team – Pumba and his handler, Officer James Fearon.

Seven adults and one juvenile were charged with alcohol offenses, Sgt. Scott Casey said Sunday. Five of the adults and the juvenile were charged with illegal transportation of alcohol. One adult, who was not yet 21, was charged with illegal possession of alcohol.

“Illegal transportation is when an underage person drives a person over 21 to a store to buy alcohol,” Casey said. “Once the driver leaves the store with the alcohol, even if he didn’t buy it, that’s illegal possession of alcohol.”

The law does make an exception for an underage driver who is with a parent or guardian.

Five adults were charged with possession of a usable amount of marijuana, according to Casey. Two also were cited for having drug paraphernalia.

Casey gave Pumba and Fearon credit for the drug charges.

“We didn’t set up roadblocks or sit outside a known drug dealer’s house,” he said. “We just picked nine cars at random out of the general population, and 60 percent of them had drugs in them.”

Either Pumba or the Orono Police Department’s canine that was used in one instance gave a positive indication that there were drugs in five of the cars.

Drug work accounts for 90 percent of Pumba’s work, Fearon said Sunday. The dog also is trained to track people and find evidence.

Fearon and the Belgian Malinois moved to Old Town from the Indian Island Police Department a year ago.

jharrison@bangordailynews.net

990-8207