CARIBOU, Maine — A Caribou man who was arrested and charged with two counts of felony trafficking in scheduled drugs in June after he allegedly was found with methamphetamine and synthetic hallucinogens, commonly referred to as “bath salts,” was arrested again Monday after police say they found him with the same drugs.
Ward Ballard, 50, first came to the attention of police during a traffic stop on June 18 on U.S. Route 1 in Mars Hill, according to Darrell Crandall, chief deputy of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department.
Crandall said that at the time, Ballard was found in possession of $1,000 in cash and several containers of unidentified substances that later were identified as methamphetamine and bath salts. The drugs were valued at about $2,500.
Once testing proved the substances to be drugs, sheriff’s deputies and agents from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency arrested Ballard at his home on June 30, according to Crandall. He added that Ballard was in possession of more bath salts when arrested at his home, which also affected the charges.
Ballard had since posted bail.
But when deputies conducted a routine check at his home on Wednesday evening to make sure he was abiding by his bail conditions, they found him in possession of more bath salts, Crandall said.
He was arrested once again, charged with drug possession and violation of conditions of release and taken to the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton.
If convicted of the trafficking charges, Ballard faces up to 10 years in prison.