BANGOR, Maine — A York County man caught nearly two years ago in a truck with 101 pounds of marijuana was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court to one year and four months in federal prison.
Roland Daggett, 45, of Lyman also was sentenced to three years of supervised release after he completes his prison term.
A former car dealership manager who was earning more than $100,000 a year when he was fired in August 2009, Daggett offered a tearful apology to the court, the prosecutor, his wife and two teenage sons, who sat behind him.
“I apologize to my wife and two boys for my lack of good judgment,” he said. “I will forever regret my bad decisions. I am a very lucky person to have their support.”
Daggett was arrested with his childhood friend Louis Bailey, 47, of Wells on Aug. 26, 2010, at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint set up in the southbound lane of Interstate 95 in Old Town.
Daggett pleaded guilty in September 2011 to possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
The duo had been headed for Vinalhaven but missed their exit off I-95 North, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Casey, who prosecuted the case, told U.S. District Judge John Woodcock last year. Bailey and Daggett, who were smoking marijuana, were north of Old Town when they realized their mistake. They left the highway and headed south only to be directed to the checkpoint.
Bailey pleaded guilty in November to possession with intent to distribute marijuana and distribution of marijuana and aiding and abetting the same. He was sentenced in March to three years and 10 months in federal prison.
Woodcock, who sentenced both men, told Daggett on Wednesday that Bailey’s sentence was longer because he had an additional 188 pounds of marijuana in his home and tried to hide it from investigators shortly after his arrest.
Daggett’s post-conviction federal bail was revoked in March when he was charged with aggravated assault, a felony, in York County Superior Court. He pleaded guilty earlier this month to the lesser charge of misdemeanor assault in connection with an incident at his home in February that involved his son and at least one of the teen’s female friends, Daggett’s attorney, Jay McCloskey of Bangor, told Woodcock on Wednesday. He was not sentenced to serve jail time on that conviction, the attorney said.
Daggett and Bailey each faced up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Casey recommended the sentence Woodcock imposed. McCloskey urged that Daggett spend just a year behind bars. The defense attorney suggested that Daggett’s marijuana use might have been an attempt to “self-medicate” for depression.
I would think that the LAST thing you would wanna do when you are transporting 101 pounds of pot is to be smoking it.
It’s the ONLY thing you want to do if you’re a pothead!!! It calms them down in their minds! Obviously they’re gonna smoke…
End the madness. Legalize it.
The sentence is kind of harsh for a usable amount of marijuana…
LOL! A ton can be considered a useable amount—’cause it will all be used.
Drugs, not a good thing to deal with.. You will turn your life upside down.
So they were north of Oldtown before they relized they went through Bangor, and were suppose to exit in Augusta–must of been some good stuff.
to get to Vinalhaven they should have gotten off 295 in Brunswick for Rt 1 to Rockland to catch the ferry, or I-95 in Augusta for Rt 17 to Rockland. Must have been some very good dope to get that far off track.
We don’t need no stinkin’ marajuwana in Maine. Maine grows some of the best American cannabis on the country. It’s too bad they are in such deep trouble for carrying dirt weed. Is there a victim here?
Bailey’s report said $400.00 an ounce pot. Doesn’t seem like dirt weed to me…
gold plated is it !?
Wouldn’t smoke it if it was gold plated. I dont think anyone would, there bucko…
Actually, due to the climate in Maine, it really isn’t that good for growing Cannabis outdoors, I wouldnt think. The East Coast has never really been known for its good Cannabis.
Who said it was even grown here in Maine?
I certainly didn’t. Neither did the article. I was merely expressing my opinion that i believe common_since’s stance about Maine growing some of the best cannabis in the country was not correct. However, you’d probably find that a decent portion of the marijuana on the streets here came from the woods. Of course theres imported stuff, coming from where-ever it comes from, but a large percentage of marijuana consumed in this country is produced domestically. So that leads me to believe that a chunk of it likely stays in the place it was produced.
This is unreasonable, Daggett’s sentence and Bailey’s as well. Looks like the court system needs to revise the guidelines so tax payers do not need to pay unecassary cash, for just these two pot-heads.
“a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint set up in the southbound lane of Interstate 95 in Old Town.” Kind of far from the border. Fourth amendment anyone?
It’s less than 100 miles from the Canadian border, so in the governments mind it is close to the border. The checkpoint was legally initiated.
Even more stupid than a 16 month sentence is how they found him. It should be unconstitutional to warrantlessly search American citizens at Old Town. The Old Town weigh station (where they hold these checkpoints FYI) is over 100 road miles (I-95) from the border, and even further from the border in other directions. We are supposed to be secure in our persons and property and not subject to random dog searches at will. Luckily the feds have dogs that have IQ’s smarter than the average agent and that the american people are willing to defer their rights in the name of fake security. All these checkpoints do is find the occasional doper. Who cares?
I would like to know where the pot went. Did they donate it to the cannibus clubs? Or did they … up in smoke???
Heck over here on the west coast 101 lbs. would be considered personal use by some.
Have you heard the rumors? The government is one of the biggest drug dealers in the world. Now don’t make me sound like one of those looney activists on the side of the road, protesting. I really think the government sells it. Or trades it to other countries… Who knows? Government has their secrets.
Of course they sell it. After things go through the legal process, the drugs people get caught with go back out on the street via CI’s. Seen it happen.
bet the cops are still smoking it
The border patrol was legally issued. That doesn’t make it RIGHT, though. I don’t think they should be searching US citizen’s vehicles. The immigrants? YES! That is why it’s called a BORDER PATROL CHECKPOINT right?