LEWISTON — Bail for a Sabattus man found with more than 300 illegal prescription pills at his home was lowered Monday from $100,000 to $30,000 cash.
Reece Johnson, 24, appeared in 8th District Court in handcuffs after spending the weekend at Androscoggin County Jail.
Johnson was arrested Friday after Maine Drug Enforcement Agents searched his West Ridge Road home, recovering pills that included oxycodone, hydrocodone, Xanax, Suboxone and Subutex. The pills had a combined street value of up to $11,000, authorities said.
Agents also seized more than $19,000 in cash from suspected drug proceeds.
On Monday, Assistant District Attorney Patricia Reynolds Regan told Judge Susan Oram that Johnson had set up shop in his home selling prescription drugs. Agents said they witnessed and interviewed nearly a dozen prospective customers coming to Johnson’s home to buy drugs at the time the search warrant for Johnson’s home was being executed.
“This certainly presents a danger to the community,” Reynolds Regan told the judge in an effort to maintain a high cash bail.
John Clifford V, who represented Johnson on Monday, said the defendant grew up in Wales and would be working at his family’s farm if he were to be released from jail.
Clifford said the $100,000 cash bail sought by Reynolds Regan was “entirely too high for this case.” He asked that it be lowered to $5,000 cash or $30,000 real estate.
The judge compromised, dropping bail to $30,000 cash.
Clifford asked that Johnson be allowed to be released from jail if he were to be supervised by a nonprofit agency.
Reynolds Regan said she would accept that arrangement. She said Johnson would be under stricter scrutiny for searching and testing for illegal drugs if he were monitored by Maine Pretrial Service than he would be if he were simply released on bail under the condition that he not have or use illegal drugs subject to random search and testing.
Johnson was charged with four counts of unlawful trafficking in drugs, a felony that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He also was charged with one count of the misdemeanor crime of violation of condition of release.
He had been free on personal recognizance on a felony charge stemming from the theft of a ring to which he had pleaded guilty in August, but his sentencing on that charge had been deferred for a year on the condition that he not run afoul of the law. That bail was revoked.
cwilliams@sunjournal.com
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- Reece Johnson appeared in 8th District Court in Lewiston Monday afternoon for his initial appearance where he is being charged with five counts of drug trafficking.
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