Madawaska police have arrested two men on assault charges and seized nearly 2,000 drug paraphernalia.
The arrests stemmed from a reported assault. Investigation led police to a drug stash that included methamphetamine and hundreds of needles, Police Chief Jamie Pelletier said in a Tuesday release.
Joshua Hafford, 30, of Madawaska was charged with aggravated assault, unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs, falsifying physical evidence, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs and violating conditions of release.
Tyler Waterman, 44, of Grand Isle was charged with assault, aggravated assault, burglary and falsifying physical evidence.
A victim sought emergency assistance from the police at 11 p.m. on May 19, claiming he had been severely assaulted by two men at Hafford’s Main Street home. Police arrested Hafford shortly afterward.
They obtained a search warrant for the home and, with the assistance of the department’s new drug tracking dog, Luka, found 1,786 pieces of drug-related evidence and paraphernalia. The stash included 839 hypodermic needles, 66 grams of methamphetamine, 36 methamphetamine pills, three unlawfully obtained prescription drugs and 12 electronic devices, police said.
Investigators identified Waterman as the second assault suspect and arrested him on May 24 with assistance from the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office, Pelletier said.
Hafford is being held at the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton on $50,000 cash bail.
Waterman has posted his $15,000 cash bail.
Police submitted other unspecified evidence for further testing and other charges may follow, according to Pelletier.
