NEWPORT — A total of 26 people were arrested today in Orleans County for various offenses related to heroin and opiate trafficking.
Police say the arrests stem from an ongoing investigation that took place over the course of seven months, when the Vermont Drug Task Force conducted multiple drug investigations focusing on heroin and opioids.
The investigations were in response to multiple opiate-related overdoses in Orleans County.
In 2016 law enforcement reported 21 overdoses in Orleans County, three fatal and 18 non-fatal. These numbers reflect only the overdoses reported to law enforcement as the majority of non-fatal opiate overdoses go unreported to authorities.
After conducting a total of 79 controlled purchases of illegal drugs, the Vermont Drug Task Force concluded its joint operation with the arrest of 26 defendants on 87 different charges, including the sale of heroin, sale of crack cocaine, and aiding in the commission of a felony.
Their names and charges are listed below:
Jason Abel, 31, of Newport:
Sale of Heroin (4) counts
Sale of Fentanyl (1) count
Terry Adams, 33, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Joshua Bean, 33, of North Troy
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Danielle Benoit, 27, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Court Date: Wanted
Donovan Blouin, 24, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (4) counts
Nicholas Brown, 22, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (4) counts
Natasha Cady, 23, of Derby
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Byron Camber, 21, of North Troy
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Aiding in the Commission (1) count
Robert Cote, 28, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (2) counts
Greg Crease, 26, of Derby
Sale of Heroin (2) counts
Aiding in the Commission (1) count
Zachary Flanagan, 30, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Tiana Gosselin, 24, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (2) counts
Gordon Kidder, 31, of Sutton
Sale of Crack Cocaine (1) count
Nathan Ladieu, 36, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Kenneth Lafave, 25, of Albany
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Jeffrey Markum-Shelton, 34, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (3) counts
Joshua McAllister, 27, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (5) counts
Jacob McDonald, 32, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Michael McFarland, 33, of Derby
Sale of Heroin (2) counts
Arretta Miller, 32, of Morgan
Sale of Narcotic (1) count
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Dana Nadeau, 30, of Charleston
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Erin O’Connell, 33, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Aiding in the Commission (2) counts
Sonya Perkins, 27, of Newport
Aiding in the Commission (1) count
Mickayla Peters, 18, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (6) counts
Ashleigh Potwin, 25, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Aiding in the Commission (1) count
Kenneth Potwin Sr., 48, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (3) counts
Jeffrey Savage, 25, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (2) counts
Michael Stevens, 21, of Derby
Aiding in the Commission (1) count
Isaiah Surdam, 33, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (1) count
Aiding in the Commission (1) count
Amy Tullis, 34, of Newport
Sale of Non-Regulated (3) counts
Sale of Narcotics (1) count
Belinda Turk, 32, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (2) counts
Joseph Rushford, 23, of Newport
Sale of Heroin (2) counts
Joshua Limlaw, 27, of Lowell
Possession/Trafficking/Transporting into the State; Heroin (1) count
Jonathan Letourneau, 27, of Newport Center
Conspiracy Heroin (1) count
Shawn Gardner, 31, of Troy
Conspiracy Heroin (1) count
Laura Brasseur, 29, of Newport
Conspiracy Heroin (1) count
Brandon Sheltra, 21, of Newport
Conspiracy Heroin (1) count
Jeremy Bathalon, 28, of Derby
Possession/Trafficking/Transport into the State; Heroin (1) count
Police say investigations into additional opiate distribution operations are still ongoing and further arrests are expected in the future.
LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT
I see that one of Lamoille County’s best was arrested too. Why don’t they just lock them up and throw away the keys
Hurray to our men and women in blue! Way to go!
congratulations to our local law enforcement on a job well done but we know this is just the tip of the iceberg these drugs especially heroin is taking a huge toll on our local young people’s lives this is a scourge that must be eradicated again job well done you are truly appreciated
Thank goodness they are off the streets and pray they learn.
Very intresting. Thank you for sharing.
Anyone who is naive enough to think heroin is not a problem in the NEK can’t deny it now. The names touch a large number of local families.
So glad they were found and arrested. Thank you for all you do to protect all of us. You are in my prayers, stay safe!!
These people all look pretty sorry for themselves but their arrests are for the best, hopefully their arrests will make them see they could be doing so much more with their lives. Their ages range from 18 to 48: each of them could have been working in jobs they enjoyed or developing careers. Instead, their days were wasted in an endless and mundane cycle of buying; selling, and using drugs that could have killed them and their customers. Let them take their punishments; clean up their acts, and get their lives back in order so they can contribute to the growth and well being of their communities. If each had been left to continue their self-abusive and destructive patterns all they would have left behind them would have been tomb stones – and bereaved families, everyone is scarred by the human loss opiate addiction leaves in its wake. The arresting agencies have done everyone a favor.
I’ve been down that road before and have experienced firsthand the living hell that is heroin addiction. It didn’t take me long to see through the euphoric fog and recognize the vicious cycle it was afflicting on everybody.
But unfortunately, it’s the same old story, year after year. They take someone off the streets today, and tomorrow another will take their spot. That is not an exaggeration! I know more than half of the people on that list. When I stopped living in hell and moved away, it was only a week before one of the people on that list, and his friend, took my place. About a year later they were both taken down, and somebody else stepped up to fill the spot almost immediately. Now we wait another year to build that case and make the arrest. I’ve been watching it happen from afar since my brush with the devil familiarized me enough to identify the cycle. When you step back and look at the big picture, it’s just another infinite loop. These people still have a permanent addiction, serious enough to be classified as a disease. Now, pile on a handful of permanent felonies and a couple years of worry free brainstorming time to assess every little detail of their downfall and what they could have done better and you got yourself a repeat offender.
Can we play a little game? Take a look at the Mugshots. Can you point out which people belong in the “‘I am doing this to get high and have fun, regardless of the harm it’s causing myself and everybody around me.” or the “I could work, I just don’t want to.” category? Now, tell me which of the accused falls into the “I’m suffering from a medical condition but the doctors wont help me due the people in the first category abusing drugs that they don’t really need, making it impossible for people with positive and honest intentions to experience the same quality of life as the next person.” or the “I was born into this world and dealt a losing hand. No real family, no assets, nobody to rely on when I’m down on my luck, just the clothes on my back and my will to survive. I have ambition, intellect, and two feet that’ll get me to a job interview. I look to my right and see someones parents handing them everything they need to succeed. From moral support and coaching, right down to a printed, sugar coated resume, sharp clothes for the interview, and keys to their first car. Guess who gets the job? So the less fortunate person is back on the cold streets of Newport, minus the resources he or she put into the interview. I look to my left, A car pulls up to another less fortunate kid and hands him $100 and takes off. Now the kid that was just as cold and hungry as me can afford a jacket and a warm meal. Good for him, but I’m still freezing and starving and there’s no legal route to salvation because the economy is down and competition is too fierce. You can only be knocked down so many times before you run out of hope. Your getting so hungry it hurts, the food stamps run out twice as fast because you’re homeless and have no way to cook real food, and everybody has been talking about the -40° wind chill tonight that’ll surely kill you if you stay exposed to it.”
All of the sudden selling that drug becomes your only way out. Its a matter of demand and Vermont made NatGeo’s show The Big Picture for most heroin users. I love Vermont and it’ll always be my pride and joy. But somebody needs to step up and do something about the lack of legal opportunity and recreation. I guarantee 90% of these addicts relapse just out of sheer boredom. Can you blame them? How long can you stare at a Balsam Fir or a dirt road before you get bored? Some of these people allegedly made one sale, maybe they needed medicine for their newborn. The moral of the story is don’t judge a book by its cover while you’re sitting behind your computer doing not a damn thing to work towards a solution. If you’re not interested in helping then just keep ur pennies.
Statistics tell us that only 3% of these poor souls will get clean and sober. The others will wind up dead, in jail, or in institutions.
Drop all so called friends. Get support by getting educated. Get to the doctor to see how bad your health really is. Ask for help. There is a better way of life.
The problem is that many of them are first time offenders. They won’t be in jail for long.
To the individuals arrested, friends, and family of these individuals, and the people witnessing these arrests.
Do not give up hope, you are a beautiful soul, and you are still capable of a beautiful life.
It may not go the way you want it to, but now that you have experience the suffering of addiction, you have a better chance of helping other people to recover.
The greatest high in the world is to be of service to others in need.
May you be healthy, happy, and loved. May your actions make it so.
We must start teaching kids in school, starting in the first grade, how dangerous taking drugs is. If they start they will be addicted and will not be able to stop. It is a very dangerous thing because it will consume their whole lives. They will never be able to afford their drugs and it causes users to steal and kill for the money to buy more drugs. Drugs causes them to lose control of their lives. Many people have overdosed and have died.
Hope my uncle is happy with going back to jail where he belongs