AUGUSTA — A man who was the junior varsity boys’ soccer coach at St. Dominic Academy in Auburn this year was arrested Tuesday night at his Monmouth home on charges of drug trafficking.
John Brissette, 36, made an initial appearance Wednesday in the Capital Judicial Center via video from the Kennebec County jail and heard a judge tell him that the charges are serious.
Assistant Attorney General Katie Sibley said when Brissette’s home was searched, authorities found 115 grams of cocaine, 1.1 pounds of marijuana and a digital scale. She also said there were no allegations that trafficking occurred at the school and that all the charges stem from Tuesday night.
Brissette is accused of two counts of trafficking in scheduled drugs and one count of unlawful possession of drugs. The state is also seeking criminal forfeiture of $1,534 in cash that also was seized.
Judge Eric Walker set bail at $5,000 and told Brissette that because the trafficking charges are serious felonies — one carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison — Walker was not asking for a plea on Wednesday.
St. Dominic Academy President Donald Fournier said in an emailed statement Wednesday that Brissette never was employed as a teacher at the school.
“John Brissette has only served as a part-time coach at the academy and his current contract has expired,” Fournier said. “This afternoon, we learned that Mr. Brissette was arrested yesterday. Law enforcement officials have told us that there is no information that the charge is related to the academy, its students, or staff. We always aim to keep our parents informed, so we are sending a letter to all parents/guardians informing them of the situation.”
Attorney Tom Nale, who was the lawyer of the day in court, said Brissette did not qualify for a court-appointed attorney and would be hiring an attorney. Nale also said Brissette expected to make bail.
Walker set bail conditions that include a 9 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew except for work, and he ordered Brissette not to leave the state.
When the judge asked whether Brissette should be supervised through a Maine Pretrial Supervision program, Sibley said she did not think it was needed.
“There is no evidence that he actually uses drugs,” she said.
Brissette’s next court date is set for March 15, 2016.
An affidavit filed in support of probable cause for a warrantless arrest says that Special Agent Nicholas Gagnon had been investigating Brissette for several months.
It says that officers conducting a traffic stop on a vehicle that had made a “quick stop” at Brissette’s Bonin Road home Tuesday night seized 14 grams of cocaine from the occupants.
Gagnon’s affidavit says he told Brissette he had been watching him for some time and asked him where the drugs were.
Brissette told him they were on the kitchen counter, and Gagnon found two jars with bags of cocaine. One of the jars was wrapped in a Crown Royal bag.
A stack of currency was also on the counter, Gagnon said, and it included some money supplied to an informant who bought cocaine from Brissette.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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