A Whitefield man previously convicted of a federal charge of drug conspiracy now faces a firearms charge.

Peter Poland, 43, is charged with being a felon in possession of three guns.

On Monday he pleaded not guilty, and U.S. District Court Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. ordered Poland held without bail pending a hearing May 11 in Bangor.

Poland was indicted on the charge April 27.

He is accused of having a Smith & Wesson .45-caliber revolver, a Springfield Armory .30-caliber rifle and a Springfield Armory 1903 Mark 1 rifle on March 7, 2016.

Poland was convicted on Aug. 31, 2012, in U.S. District Court in Maine of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute oxycodone.

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He was sentenced to 40 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was released from federal prison on May 16, 2015.

According to a report prepared by prosecutors in that case, Poland and other people got oxycodone and other drugs outside Maine and distributed them in Kennebec and Cumberland counties.

On Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Joyce asked that Poland be kept behind bars, saying in the written motion that the charge is a felony involving a firearm and that there is a “serious risk defendant will flee” and a “serious risk (of) obstruction of justice,” and that he should be held in the interest of community safety.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

A motion to revoke the supervised release from the previous conviction is pending.

Poland has been represented by attorney Ronald Bourget.

In late November 2015, Poland escaped serious injury in a fatal accident in Bernards Township, New Jersey.

On March 9, 2016, Poland was arrested by a Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy on charges of failing to stop for an officer, operating under the influence and terrorizing after being stopped in Whitefield.


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