A man who once wanted to create a commune in Bradford for people who are homeless was one of two men arrested Wednesday in Bangor on drug charges.
Bangor police arrested Michael Tuller, 74, and Richard Lee, 26, both of Bangor, at a home on Maple Street on Wednesday morning after serving a search warrant as part of an ongoing drug investigation. Both were taken to Penobscot County Jail, said Jason McAmbley, public information officer for the Bangor Police Department.
Both were still in jail Wednesday afternoon.
Tuller’s arrest comes nearly two years after he purchased 35 acres of undeveloped land in Bradford to create housing for those who are homeless. Tuller envisioned providing a safe place to live, which could be anything from an RV park to a tiny home neighborhood, to help alleviate the region’s pervasive homelessness crisis, he previously told the Bangor Daily News.
At the time, Tuller was also president of two local nonprofits: Bangor Friends of Affordable Housing and Bangor Friends of People in Need. It’s unclear whether he still holds those titles.
Bradford residents quickly pushed against Tuller’s plan and voiced concerns about the location, operation of such places, health and safety, environmental effects and adjacent property values.
In October 2023, Bradford residents approved a moratorium that temporarily prohibited Tuller and others from building rooming houses, shelters, campgrounds and tiny home parks in the town.
Tuller was arrested on a charge of Aggravated Trafficking of Scheduled Drugs, a Class A crime, and Lee was taken into custody on outstanding warrants, according to McAmbley.
Bangor detectives and the department’s Community Enforcement Team were looking for evidence of alleged drug trafficking as part of a lengthy investigation. Police did not specify what drugs were involved.
The case remains an ongoing investigation.