PARIS — A Rumford woman was released on bail Monday after appearing before a judge via video on charges of aggravated drug trafficking and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.

Becky Collette-Theriault, 41, was arrested Friday at her home at 18 Erchles St. on a warrant after police seized more than a pound of marijuana from the trunk of her car, Rumford police officer Bradlee Gallant said Monday.

Police were still searching Monday for her boyfriend, Charles Gannon, 42, also of 18 Erchles St., who was driving her car at the time. A warrant was issued for his arrest on the same charges, Gallant said.

According to an affidavit signed by Gallant, he pulled over a vehicle driven by Gannon on Friday to see if he was abiding by bail conditions, including drug and alcohol tests and weapon searches. Gannon was arrested July 4 on a charge of assaulting a police officer who was responding to a fireworks complaint on Erchles Street. He was released on bail.

In the affidavit, Gallant said when he stopped Gannon on Friday, he could smell an “overwhelming” odor of marijuana while searching the passenger compartment, but found no marijuana.

Collette-Theriault and Gannon refused to open the trunk, and the car was impounded, Gallant said. 

“There were some limits to the search because they didn’t have access to the trunk without a key,” Gallant explained. 

Gannon was arrested Friday on violation of bail conditions and booked at the Oxford County Jail in Paris and released the next day, according to an official at the jail.

In his affidavit, Gallant said he found a black duffel bag containing a one-gallon Ziploc bag containing one pound, two ounces of processed marijuana.

Because the couple were both in the vehicle with the marijuana and the odor was so strong, Gallant had probable cause to believe both were in possession of the marijuana, he said in the affidavit. 

The couple’s residence is 700 feet from Rumford Elementary School and 400 feet from the Chisholm Head-Start school, both of which are designated “safe zones,” Gallant noted in the affidavit. That led to the aggravated charge.

Collette-Theriault appeared before a judge Monday afternoon and had bail set at $500. She was released from jail at 4:45 p.m., a jail officer said Monday night.

She is expected to appear in court in November.

As of Monday evening, Gannon was still at large. 

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