ELLSWORTH, Maine — A Trenton man has begun serving a nine-month sentence in jail on a drug furnishing charge, according to court records.

Michael McFarland, 43, pleaded guilty last month in Hancock County Superior Court to a charge of unlawful furnishing of drugs.

According to a copy of an affidavit and arrest warrant filed in court by officers with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, McFarland sold two bags of heroin to another man on Aug. 27, 2010, in the parking lot of a grocery store on Route 3.

A man had arranged to buy three bags of heroin for about $30-$35 per bag, but McFarland ended up selling him two bags for $100, the affidavit indicates. The bags each had an image of a purple dolphin printed on them, according to the MDEA.

McFarland initially was charged with unlawful trafficking in drugs, but that charge was dismissed after he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful furnishing of drugs.

McFarland was sentenced Dec. 21, 2012, to serve nine months in jail and ordered to pay $505 in fines and $250 in restitution, according to court documents. He began serving his sentence at Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth on Jan. 7.

Follow BDN reporter Bill Trotter on Twitter at @billtrotter.

A news reporter in coastal Maine for more than 20 years, Bill Trotter writes about how the Atlantic Ocean and the state's iconic coastline help to shape the lives of coastal Maine residents and visitors....