MACHIAS, Maine — Two Washington County men remained in custody Wednesday after being charged with breaking into the same residence near Cooper twice within 14 hours earlier in the week.
Shots were fired by a resident of the home during the second incident, which occurred at about 11:30 Monday night. The home located on Proverst Lane in Cathance Township is occupied by Seth McLaughlin and Vanessa Nemec.
“McLaughlin is a marijuana cultivator and caregiver for several marijuana patients in the area,” Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith said in a press release. “During the earlier burglary and theft, a substantial amount of the medical marijuana and a 9 mm handgun were stolen.”
The couple was not home during the first break-in, the sheriff said.
Smith said that, during the second incident, as someone was trying to gain access through a window, McLaughlin called 911 and then fired six rounds from a handgun, prompting the intruders to flee. Smith said it does not appear that the intruders were armed.
Scott E. Conlin, 38, of Cutler and Raymie D. Stoddard, 30, of Machias were arrested early Tuesday morning after a vehicle stop by Washington County deputies and Machias police on Ridge Road in Marshfield. Conlin was arrested at the scene, while a male passenger in the vehicle, later identified as Stoddard, fled on foot.
With the assistance of a K-9 unit, officers subsequently tracked and arrested Stoddard at the Ridgeview Apartments in Machias. A consent search of an apartment there yielded the marijuana and the handgun taken in the first break-in and burglary. Smith said evidence also was recovered linking the subjects to other crimes in the Machias area.
Stoddard and Conlin each were charged with criminal attempt of burglary. As Conlin was found to be in violation of conditions of release on an earlier charge of trafficking of drugs, he is being held without bond. Stoddard is being held on $500 cash bail. Smith said several other charges are pending. Both are being held at Washington County Jail.
Members of the Maine State Police and the Maine Warden Service assisted in the arrests, Smith said.
“Home invasions are a problem, and it’s all connected to drug addiction,” Smith said Wednesday. “This is the fifth or sixth home invasion we’ve had in Washington County, between this year and last. These people learn where there is product, and they go after it.”
Great job on getting the thieves. But why name the victims? You not only just told the majority of washington county resident where they are growing it, but also informed the dirtbag that now knows where to go score. Shame that was never thought out before the press release. Then again…not surprised. Would the “high Sheriff” pointed this out if an elderly person had his/her pills taken. I would hope not. Sounds like he is gearing up for press release on medical marijuana and how he is against it and spout off saying “they are causing home invasion” but not mentioning that this is most likely the first for a cannabis grower (legally) that I can recalls. Come on use your smarts…oohhh that is right
Not to mention…HIPA apparently means nothing…
The Administrative Simplification standards adopted by HHS under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) apply
to any entity that is:
– a health care provider that conducts certain transactions in electronic form (called here a “covered health care provider”),
– a health care clearinghouse, or
– a health plan
An organization or individual that is one or more of these types of entities is referred to as a “covered entity” in the Administrative Simplification
regulations, and must comply with the requirements of those regulations.
So yes HIPPA means nothing to the Sheriff’s Office…………. ONLY applies to agencies that supply some form of healthcare.
Thanks but arguable. Your thoughts on my first opinion?
I love a good debate, but I don’t think there is much to debate on the HIPPA issue. What I posted were the guidelines from the federal web site that explains who is subject to the law. As for the other issue…..the playing field is tilted WAY in the favor of the suspect….they have almost all the rights. They almost always out weigh those of the victim or the officer. A large portion of what was released is attainable under freedom of information….I would ague that if I were the Sheriff I might wait for the court to order the information released……but then the taxpayer is on the hook for the legal fees. The “rest of the story” as it were, is some opinion on the Sheriff’s part for sure, but he was elected….and re-elected, all the while giving his opinions. I may not like them, you may not like them, but I guess enough of the citizen’s of Washington County liked them to get him re-elected.
These are patients. Their information is held electronically by the state. who is protecting the patient here? anyone know the law about this? are there no protection for the victims? i’m sure they feel violated enough, and now this? a road map? this is washington county, how many homes to do you think are on each road? less than the per ca pita IV drug user rate. That being said, the “product” that Sheriff Donnie Smith references the boys going to any length to get, WASN’T the product that they stole. just A product. Addicts don’t care if they get your copper, your electronics, your prescriptions, your money, jewelry or medical marijuana. These folks were victims like anyone else who had been robbed in the county over the past 15 years. It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with “where there is product”, we’re talking about a town where the apothecary was robbed by the owners daughter, and family beats up family for their goverment checks. this need be about those that need help and not those that are following the law. victims=followed the law. they felt comfortable enough about what was in their house to call the damn police. good for them. and these boys are just statistics and will be back on the streets in no time. stealing from whoever they can, this is not about the victims asking for it (as men say about girls in short skirts who get raped). If you follow the law, the law should protect you, whether it’s a part of the law that you don’t agree with. it’s the law. they have a right to grow and are doing so for the medical necessity of patients. you wanna come down on someone, come down on the companies that made the prescription drugs that transformed these young men into life long criminals. Pot heads/patients alike – not robbing each-other; junkies – wrecking havoc on this community.
well said, someone needs to stand up for the victims and the patients of the victims and obviously the sherriff and downeast_lawman aren’t willing to help or protect them. @downeastlaw_man if you really are involved with the law then you do know how Legal the victims where and that they should be treated just the same as if drugs where stolen from a pharmacy.
they do provide healthcare it’s called medicine!!!
This is the problem with the medical marijuana laws. These 2 “providers” sell their product to non patients. She has a medical condition, why is he smoking pot all day legally? At this house it is legalized addiction. People like these two are what hurt people with legitimate medical issues.
It’s a shame the owner didn’t put a bulllet into one or both of these wonderful young men. That might have sent a message to the rest of their associates.
Well at least one of them won’t have to make the commute to Calais every day for his Methadone. In fact he will now be whining for his protocol at WCJ.
They’ll get another slap and be right back at it again.
$500.00 cash bail — get real — why so little !! They stole a gun and they found other items of other places they had broken into !!!
It’s a set up. If he bails, he is so into drugs that he will almost immediately violate his conditions. That way, they also can search his property at anytime 24/7 in case he thinks it’s safe since they already searched it. Plus if he violates they get to keep the $500, and they get to add another charge.