WATERVILLE – A Waterville man faces four charges, including possession of the hallucinogenic drug bath salts, after having been arrested twice in two days, police said.

Jason Stephenson, 37, of 4 Spring Place, was first arrested about 1:30 a.m. Thursday on Front Street on a charge of operating a vehicle with a suspended license, according to Deputy Chief Charles Rumsey.

While Stephenson was being booked at the Waterville Police Department, an officer found a small bag of pills in his pocket, Rumsey said.

The officer put the drugs on a table and continued the search. While handcuffed, Stephenson lunged with an open mouth toward the pills and ate them, resulting in a charge of falsifying evidence, Rumsey said.

“We took him to MaineGeneral (Medical Center), where he was medically cleared before he went to jail,” Rumsey said.

Stephenson was charged with operating after suspension, a Class E misdemeanor; and falsifying evidence, a Class D misdemeanor.

After Stephenson posted $500 bail later Thursday, Waterville police searched his home about 1 a.m. Friday to verify that he was abiding by his bail conditions. They found hypodermic needles as well as a small amount of marijuana, according to Rumsey. Stephenson was arrested on a charge of violating the condition of his release and taken back to the police station.

During the booking process, officers noticed Stephenson removing his shoes and fidgeting in his socks, according to Rumsey. An officer approached Stephenson and discovered a dollar bill folded around a white powder that was later determined to contain mephedrone, or bath salts, Rumsey said.

Stephenson was charged with violating the condition of his release, a Class E misdemeanor, and unlawful possession of a synthetic hallucinogenic drug, a Class C felony.

Stephenson remains at the Kennebec County jail, Rumsey said, and has a Nov. 5 court date for the first two misdemeanor charges at Waterville District Court, and an Oct. 15 court date for the felony and other misdemeanor charges in Kennebec County Superior Court.

 

Jesse Scardina can be contacted at 861-9239 or at:

jscardina@mainetoday.com