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COBURN GORE

Police say lost driver had drugs at border

By Betty Jespersen bjespersen@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

COBURN GORE -- Three skiers on their way from Sugarloaf to Saddleback ski resorts on Monday inadvertently took a wrong turn and ended up crossing the border into Canada, officials said.

When the group attempted to re-enter Maine at the border crossing at Coburn Gore, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials did a routine search and found a stash of marijuana and other illegal drugs, said Detective Tom White of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.

The driver, Kaycee W. Stevens, 20, of Stillwater, a student at the University of Maine at Orono, was charged with possession of scheduled drugs. His two passengers were not charged.

White said the search yielded a small amount of marijuana and 10 pills of Ecstasy/MDMA, a stimulant.

"They were on Route 27 and had been skiing at Sugarloaf and were on their way to Saddleback in Rangeley. They took a wrong turn and ended up at the border and actually drove right across to Canada."

"When they realized they were approaching the Canadian checkpoint, they spun around and came back."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Rory Bates and Kathy Moore and Major Gregory Pease were at the Coburn Gore check point and searched the car. The drugs were found in a side pocket on the driver's side door, police say.

The federal agents charged Stevens $500 for the civil violation of possession of marijuana; White and Lt. Niles Yeaton responded and arrested Stevens for a charge of possession of narcotics.

Betty Jespersen -- 778-6991

bjespersen@centralmaine.com