Six Arrested In Connection With Waterville Meth Lab

Six people have been arrested in connection with a methamphetamine manufacturing operation centered out of a Waterville motel room.   Maine Drug Enforcement agents found several active “one-pot” labs in a room at the Waterville Fireside Inn & Suites on Upper Main Street, said Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland.Over the last month, as part of a joint investigation with the Oakland and Waterville Police Departments, MDEA agents have been investigating the manufacturing and sale of methamphetamine in the Waterville/Oakland area. During this investigation, agents gained substantial evidence that Eric “Joe” Finnemore of Linneus was the central figure of a local group involved in the manufacturing and sale of the drug, McCausland said.

Agents made undercover purchases of methamphetamine from members of the group. In addition, others individuals have been identified as assisting the operation by purchasing antihistamine drugs containing pseudoephedrine, a necessary ingredient in the production of meth.

In addition to the search in Waterville, other search warrants were served simultaneously at two Oakland apartments at 11 Center St. It is expected that agents will be on scene most of Friday afternoon collecting evidence. The decision to evacuate a wing of the Waterville motel was made because of the extremely unstable and volatile potential of these types of labs, said McCausland.

Arrested are:

1. Eric “Joe” Finnemore, 35 , of Linneus, charged with Class B Trafficking/Manufacturing of Methamphetamine, a Schedule W Drug;
2. Christopher McEachern, 27, of Oakland, charged with Class B Trafficking of Methamphetamine and Class C Possession of Methamphetamine;
3. Corey Stevens, 22 , of Oakland, charged with Class B Trafficking of Methamphetamine and Class C Possession of Methamphetamine;
4. James Bell, 43 , of Oakland, charged with Class B Trafficking of Methamphetamine;
5. Katherine Tibbetts, 48, of Oakland, charged with Class B Trafficking of Methamphetamine; and
6. Rachel Wolfe, 26, of Oakland, charged with Class C Possession of Methamphetamine.

All were transported to the Kennebec County Jail.

MDEA’s Clandestine Drug Laboratory Enforcement Team is being assisted at the scenes by the Waterville Police and Fire Departments, the Oakland Police and Fire Departments, the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Skowhegan Police Department and chemists from Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory.