Two Biddeford residents were arrested and Maine State Police said they seized about 20 grams of heroin that a passenger in a car tried to throw out the window late Wednesday on the Maine Turnpike.

According to the state police, a trooper stopped a Chevy Avalanche on the turnpike in Wells because of a defective license plate light and an obstructed plate. As the trooper approached the car, he said he saw the passenger throwing things out the window.

The driver, Richard Mathieu, 43, was driving with a license that had been suspended for operating under the influence. Four troopers searched the ground around the passenger side of the car and found two “fingers” of heroin – cylindrical packages of the drug that contain about 10 grams of heroin each – in the grass near the car, state police said.

Mathieu and his passenger, April Umble, 37, were arrested and charged with aggravated trafficking in heroin. State police said Mathieu will also be charged with operating after suspension and Umble was held for a probation violation.

As of Saturday night, both were still being held at the York County Jail in Alfred. Bail for Mathieu was set at $2,500 cash and for Umble, $5,000 cash.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

filed under: