NEWFIELD — A North Waterboro woman charged with trafficking in methamphetamine in Newfield in June was released from custody at York County Jail in Alfred Wednes-day night. During a court appearance earlier in the day, a judge reduced her bail from $5,000 to personal recognizance with a Maine Pre-Trial contract, a jail corrections officer said this morning.

Caitlin Bigelow, 26, was arrested without incident by Maine Drug Enforcement agents in her North Waterboro home Tuesday.

Her alleged meth-making was discovered by York County Sheriff’s Department civil deputies on June 2, when they found items consistent with drug making outside of her home on Stone Road in Newfield. Deputies were at the property to serve eviction paperwork to Bigelow, who was renting a mobile home at 481 Stone Road, according to Maine Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland.

“Although Bigelow was not at home at the time, deputies observed several items commonly used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine outside her residence,” McCausland said in a prepared statement. “These items included gas generators made from soda bottles with rubber tubing affixed to the bottle openings, numerous empty pseudoephedrine blister packs and granular cold packs, along with other items indicative of methamphetamine manufacturing.”

McCausland said recognizing the dangerous combination of chemicals and containers, deputies notified MDEA. Agents responded and set up a safety perimeter.

The MDEA laboratory team served a search warrant at Bigelow’s home June 3. 

Assisting the agency was the Newfield Fire Department and the state Department of Environmental Protection. McCausland said DEP ensures the safe disposal of the hazardous waste related to the laboratories. Specially trained agents from around the state, along with a state chemist, utilizing specialized equipment and protective gear, dismantled about 10 “one-pot” laboratories inside the home, he said.

The coordinated efforts of MDEA, DEP and the Newfield Fire Department resulted in the safe resolution of an extremely dangerous situation, McCausland said.

MDEA Cmdr. Scott Pelletier said agents from the MDEA’s York District Task Force continued the investigation during the summer by conducting interviews and reviewing analysis of evidence seized from the house. Based on the evidence, agents applied for and received an arrest warrant for Bigelow, charging her with unlawful trafficking in Schedule W drugs, a Class B felony according to Maine’s criminal statutes.

The maximum prison term for a conviction on a Class B felony is 10 years.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.

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