Douglas Theriault Franklin County Detention Center
FARMINGTON — A local couple facing methamphetamine production charges pleaded not guilty Wednesday to endangering their children.
Douglas Theriault, 37, and his wife, Katherine Theriault, 28, were arrested on a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child and taken to the Franklin County Detention Center in Farmington.
While in jail, the Theriaults were arrested on a felony charge of aggravated unlawful operation of a methamphetamine laboratory. They are expected to make an initial appearance on that charge Friday. They are being held on $10,000 cash each on the drug charge, a corrections officer said. Both remained at the jail Wednesday afternoon.
Douglas Theriault pleaded not guilty to child endangerment in Franklin County Superior Court, where Judge Brent Davis set bail at $250. He appointed attorney A. Tucker Derstine to represent Theriault.
Davis entered a not guilty plea on behalf of Katherine Theriault, who was visibly upset. He set bail at personal recognizance and a supervised release agreement. He appointed lawyer Ashley Perry to represent her.
Even though the court set personal recognizance bail, Davis said, “there is a more serious charge holding you in jail.”
Police responded to the couple’s residence on Knowlton Corner Road earlier in the day for a possible drug overdose.
The man was revived with Narcan, an opioid antidote, and taken by a NorthStar EMS ambulance to Franklin Memorial Hospital.
Three children — ages 7, 3 and 1 — were at the house during the incident. With the assistance of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, the children were placed with a family member, according to Farmington Deputy Police Chief Shane Cote.
While at the residence, police recognized signs of methamphetamine production, according to Cote. Officers initially responded to the residence at about 1 a.m. A Wilton police officer stood by at FMH with the man who overdosed.
Katherine Theriault Franklin County Detention Center
Police contacted the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the agency’s Clandestine Laboratory Team responded to the home. A search was conducted and evidence of methamphetamine manufacturing was found, according to Cote. All hazardous waste was removed by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The couple are prohibited from having contact with their children, except through DHHS.
A conviction on the felony charge is punishable by a maximum 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine, while the child endangerment charge carries a maximum of 364 days in jail.
A Farmington couple were arrested Wednesday and charged with aggravated unlawful operation of a methamphetamine laboratory.
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