BANGOR, Maine — Eleven months after his arrest and seven months after he entered a guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute oxycodone, Daren Bowden of Milo was supposed to be sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Bangor.
But Bowden, 42, will have to wait until Friday to learn what sentence he will receive from U.S. District Judge John Woodcock.
Woodcock decided to reconvene Friday morning to determine if a local lawyer who is a potential witness for the defense can testify about the exact amount of oxycodone involved in the case.
“We have a material witness who can corroborate the quantity of drugs concerned with this case, but there is a 5th Amendment issue concerning his testimony, which we’ll have to iron out,” said defense attorney Ronald Bourget of Augusta.
The hearing was delayed twice as attorneys met with Woodcock before the hearing, and Bourget met with the potential witness during a 25-minute break later.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Casey is prosecuting Bowden for knowingly and intentionally conspiring to possess and distribute oxycodone pills. Bowden faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine as high as $1 million for the Class C felony.
The case stems from a 14-month investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Bowden allegedly obtained the diverted 80- and 50-milligram pills from two sources, at least one of whom obtained the pills through prescriptions doctors wrote for him.
Bourget argued that one of the circumstances involved in the case — pawning at least one shotgun to obtain cash to buy drugs — should not raise sentencing standards because the gun or guns went to a licensed firearms dealer, not a drug dealer or user.
Woodcock disagreed, saying the higher standard should apply because Bowden’s guns were used as collateral to obtain drugs, regardless of the circumstances.
Twenty-two of Bowden’s friends and family members attended the hearing, which will resume at 10:30 a.m. Friday.
They sure are making a big deal out of this. So the guy pawns a gun to buy some drugs; people pawn stuff all the time to buy something or pay bills. Why would this give him a longer sentence? It doesn’t even sound like that many pills. Well to do housewives in the 60’s would do that much in a couple weeks. Times sure have changed. Somebody is making money off of these shanannigans but it sure isn’t the tax payers.
The “war on drugs” is a major money maker for a lot of people.
Talk about criminalizing the trivial. If we were truly the bastion of liberty we make ourselves out to be, this guy would have never even been arrested. He hurt nobody, he violated nobody’s rights, he stole from nobody.
reread the 1st paragraph.
The “intenet to distribute” penalty kicks in for a certain volume of drugs even if the person only got them for personal use.
Not saying whether or not that is the case here, but that part of the charge cannot be used to say for sure whether this was a victimless crime or not.
Drug dealing is a victimless crime. Both parties enter the transaction willingly; you can’t be the victim of something you do to yourself.
because he was caught BEFORE the drugs he had made it to the street. Keep up the attitude-maybe some desperate for a fix person , out of cash and down on his luck will break into YOUR home and take your belongings or hold your family at knife/gunpoint just because his dealer never hurt/stole /violate anyone.. or maybe they will break into a business steal some cash to fund a habit and then BURN HALF THE TOWN DOWN.. sound familiar?
seven months after he entered a guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute oxycodone,–Here’s your sign-.
ORONO – A Milo man was arrested for reportedly “grazing,” or eating food without paying for it, at Bell’s Orono IGA over the weekend.
On June 13 around 11:30 a.m., employees called Orono Police after witnessing the man, later identified as Daren Bowden, 41, of Milo, consume a Mountain Dew, a cup of yogurt and a slice of deli pizza. Bowden then left the store without paying, according to police. When the manager confronted him outside, Bowden denied that he was leaving without paying.
Officers arrived and Bowden was arrested for theft and taken to Penobscot County Jail
Here’s your sign x2!
he’s always been a drain on society. I grew up with this lughead. I’m not at all surprised by this. He’s got 4 beautiful daughters who need their father – unfortunately, he’ll never change and they will pay for his sins.