AUGUSTA — A Utah couple has been indicted on charges of aggravated forgery and cultivation of marijuana, which was discovered in August after the execution of a search warrant at their Durham residence.
Frank Terhaar and Michelle Hank, formerly of Salt Lake City, were living in a travel trailer in Durham at the time of their arrest, according to a press release issued by the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles on Wednesday.
“An in-depth investigation was conducted by Bureau of Motor Vehicles Detective Christine Buchanan and Senior Detective Everett Kaherl over a period of four weeks, which led to the issuance of the search warrant,” according to the BMV.
The BMV said Terhaar and Hank “promulgated a scheme involving obtaining birth certificates from other states in the name of deceased individuals, using information gathered from genealogical websites, and then applying for Maine identification credentials with the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles.”
Detectives obtained arrest warrants from the Sagadahoc County District Court in Bath, and were assisted by BMV detectives John Gould and Gordon Carroll and Maine State Trooper Michael Chavez, the release stated.
“At the scene they searched a vehicle and the travel trailer. During the search, they discovered a number of other identity documents in the name of deceased persons, as well as a system of manufacturing counterfeit Social Security cards,” according to the BMV.
A marijuana growing operation was also found on the campsite, with grow lights and a number of marijuana plants in different stages of maturity, according to the press release.
The grow operation and plants were seized and charges were brought in a Lewiston court against the couple. The couple was indicted on the charges and remains in custody.
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