ROCKLAND — The Knox County grand jury met July 9-10 and indicted 18 defendants. An indictment does not imply guilt.

John M. Callery, 49, of Westport Island, felony negotiating a worthless instrument, a check, for $2,000 in Thomaston Nov. 27.

Daniel W. Carter, 29, of Rockland, domestic violence assault, domestic violence terrorizing in Warren March 1. Carter was also convicted of domestic violence assault in Knox County Superior Court in Dec., 2013.

Chamara Cox, 31, of Rochester, N.Y., three counts of unlawful trafficking in cocaine, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, eluding an officer, falsifying physical evidence, driving to endanger, all incidents occurred on April 4 in Thomaston.

Cox was part of an investigation by agents from the MDEA Midcoast District Task Force have been investigating the distribution of crack cocaine and heroin in the Midcoast by a group from New York, according to a news release from the Maine Dept. of Public Safety.

As agents took two men also involved in the investigation into custody, other agents attempted to arrest Chamara Cox, who had driven one of the suspects to the location in her rental car.

Cox refused to get out of the car and sped off with Knox County deputies and Waldoboro Police chasing the vehicle, according to the release.

The pursuit continued until Cox’s vehicle was stopped near Moody's Diner in Waldoboro, and Cox was taken into custody.

Along the way, officers observed Cox allegedly tossing small bags of crack cocaine along Route 1 as she fled.

Waldoboro Police, aided by a Lincoln County drug sniffing dog, located the four bags of crack that were thrown out of Cox's car., the release said. An additional four bags of crack were seized from inside the vehicle along with three New York driver's licenses bearing similar photos to Cox, police said.

Gregorio Diaz, 38, of Bangor, two counts of aggravated trafficking in cocaine and fentanyl, violating condition of release May 15 in Thomaston. He was previously convicted for unlawful furnishing of a scheduled drug in the Kennebec Criminal Docket Aug. 11, 2016.

Jonathan R. Dodge, 34, of Union, aggravated criminal operating under the influence, March 12 in Rockport.

Joshua W. Ellis, 33, of Rockland, felony theft, violating condition of release April 18. Ellis allegedly stole footwear from Renys in Camden. He was also convicted of theft in Sept., 2010, in Knox County Superior Court and in March, 2014, in Lincoln County Superior Court.

Irina E. Erickson, 46, of Rockport, felony theft by deception, misuse of identification, violating condition of release, forgery, theft, receiving stolen property from Aug. 16, 2017, through Feb. 28, 2017 in Thomaston.

According to the affidavit filed in court by the Thomaston Police Department, a woman from Thomaston contacted them to report that someone had opened a new credit card in her name at the end of December and made unauthorized purchases locally and online totaling $1,495. 

The victim told police that she suspected Erickson since she had moved into her house to watch her cat while she was away. She lived together with the victim for a short period of time before she was alone in the home after the victim left town for some time. The woman said that Erickson had access to all of her personal information, such as her social security number. 

The credit card statement included purchases from the Walmart store in Thomaston. Sgt. Olaf Sigaud reviewed the store’s security video from when the transaction was made and Erickson was identified making a purchase for $72, according to the affidavit. 

Erickson allegedly made the remaining purchases online using the Amazon and Chewy websites. 

She admitted to police that she opened the credit card by using the victim’s personal information including her birthday and a fake maiden name and email address. 

Erickson told police that she was “going through rough financial times and saw an opportunity and took it.” 

William J. Eustis, 29, of Rockland, conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property (a stolen firearm), violating a condition of release Jan. 25 in Warren.

Steven T. Juenemann, 49, of Freeport, aggravated operating after revocation, criminal operating under the influence. He was also convicted of operating after habitual offer revocation in Dec. 2009, in Cumberland County Superior Court, Oct. 2011, in Androscoggin County Superior Court and in July 2016, in Sagadahoc County Superior Court along with two convictions of operating under the influence in 2011 and 2015.

Randall S. Lind Jr, 40, of Union, three counts of gross sexual assault, 12 counts of unlawful sexual contact from March 2014 through Dec. 2014 in Union. 

According to the affidavit filed in Knox County Unified Court by Twitchell, the sexual assaults involved a victim who was 11 at the time of the incidents, which allegedly occurred in 2014. 

The investigation began after Twitchell received a report from the Department of Health and Human Services. They had been alerted by a physician’s office about a patient who said that she had been touched inappropriately.   

When police interviewed Lind he denied the charges but declined to take a polygraph examination at the Sheriff’s Office, according to the affidavit.  

Carlton O. Mitchell, 37, Maine State Prison in Warren, failure to report Jan. 14.

Eugene W. Neild, 43, of Bangor, aggravated assault, obstructing the report of a crime in Feb. 9 in Warren.

Joseph Bub Peter Nguany, 30, Maine State Prison in Warren, aggravated assault with a shank (makeshift knife), trafficking in prison contraband (shank) June 29, 2017.

Jennifer Porter, 41, of Cushing, felony domestic violence assault in Cushing May 13. The charge was elevated to a felony because of prior convictions.

Raul Ros, 32, Maine State Prison in Warren, felony assault Feb. 8, 2017. He was previously convicted of assault and terrorizing Dec. 16, 2016, in Cumberland County Criminal Court in Portland.

Chad Salvas, 40, of Rockland, felony theft and forgery of a value of more than $1,000 from November 2014 through February; violating a condition of release; failure to appear.

Anthony J. Simaitis, 51, of South Thomaston, domestic violence threatening with a dangerous weapon (gun), domestic violence terrorizing with a dangerous weapon March 16, in South Thomaston. Simaitis denied that he pointed the gun at the woman when he was arrested, according to police. 

Angie L. Sousa, 36, of Farmington, trafficking in prison contraband (suboxone) March 17, 2016, in Warren.

Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com