ELLSWORTH, Maine — A New York man who allegedly attempted to torch an Orrington home before firing several shots into the occupied building has been extradited from Massachusetts and is behind bars at Hancock County Jail.
Oscar Nunez, 25, of Bronx, N.Y., waived extradition hearings at Dudley District Court in Massachusetts on Dec. 5, according to Hancock County Jail records. He was transported to Ellsworth on Dec. 21, where he has remained on $10,000 cash bail. The circumstances of Nunez’s arrest in Massachusetts were unclear on Wednesday, and an employee at Dudley District Court said records of extradition hearings are not kept.
An arrest warrant for Nunez was issued from Hancock County in August on a charge of Class A aggravated drug trafficking, stemming from a July Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigation. Police say that MDEA investigation turned up 66.1 grams of crack cocaine in the Verona Island apartment Nunez was sharing with his girlfriend, Ana de los Santos, 23.
The crack was stored in individual baggies stashed inside WD-40 and Coca-Cola cans with false bottoms, according to an affidavit filed by MDEA Special Agent Lori Renzullo.
Nunez also is wanted in Penobscot County, where another warrant for his arrest was issued in October, charging the Bronx man with aggravated attempted murder, arson and two counts of criminal threatening in connection with a July 22 fire and shooting at an Orrington residence.
Those incidents were allegedly the result of a dispute between Nunez and another accused drug dealer, David Ireland, who lived at the Orrington home.
It is unclear whether Nunez will have to see the trafficking charge in Hancock County fully resolved before proceedings begin at Penobscot County Superior Court. Both counties are aware of the charges pending in the other, according to the respective district attorney’s offices.
Ireland and other witnesses, including de los Santos, told police that Nunez had been dealing cocaine in the Bangor area since 2010.
According to interviews detailed in Renzullo’s affidavit, a rivalry had developed between Nunez and Ireland, leading Nunez to pour gasoline around Ireland’s Johnson Mill Road home, ignite the fuel and fire shots into the residence. Though Ireland and others were home, no one was hurt.
The criminal threatening charges stem from a Father’s Day 2012 incident in which Ireland, 46, claims Nunez put a gun to his head at the Orrington home, according to Renzullo’s affidavit. A .380 caliber handgun found at Nunez’ home matched the shell casings found at Ireland’s house, according to the affidavit filed to obtain the arrest warrant for Nunez out of Penobscot County in October.
Ireland was arrested July 24 on a charge of unlawful trafficking in a scheduled drug, Class B, stemming from the discovery of about $500 worth of heroin during the investigation into the fire. Ireland claims he got the drugs from Nunez. Ireland is free on bail, and his next court date is Jan. 10.
De los Santos was arrested on a charge of aggravated drug trafficking in July, but was never indicted by a grand jury, according to court records. She has since been released.
If convicted, Nunez faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.
Follow Mario Moretto on Twitter at @riocarmine.
Effing punk.
Yeah profiling would have never worked with this guy.
rofl
You’re right… he was just a “Twinkie” saleman…
Sounds like a dealer with a bad attitude. But then, he probably had quite a few buyers. Demand and supply, and competive too. We are losing the War on Drugs.
Ten dollars worth of crack in the Bronx is worth $100 here. That’s quite a profit margin. I have a man from the Bronx working for me now, and he says, the women who live in low income housing in Maine just go nuts when they see out-of-state plates in the neighborhood.
Another LOSER.
Happy Holidays
Yet another,yet another Bronx drug dealer in Maine. Their either handling out maps of Maine in the Bronx or the Bronz express subway goes all the way to Bangor now.
“records of extradition hearings not kept”? yeah, right…
Poor misunderstood youth. Leave him alone.
I bet this piece of crap was on the state’s system as well…..POS
How about pouring gasoline and firing shots into his cell?
Oh good, lets bring him back, offer bail, .. .. then let him vote !
We pay for this slime. over and over and over again.