Lincoln County Grand Jury

‘Cheeking’ leads to contraband charges for Wiscasset jail trio

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 8:30am

Story Location:
1 Wood Lane
Wiscasset, ME
United States

A trio of women, who were being held at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset, have been indicted by the Lincoln County Grand Jury on charges claiming they trafficked in prison contraband.

Windi St. Thomas, 35, of Belfast, Stephanie Clark, 29, of Portland, and Janessa Moulton, of Searsport, were all indicted by the Grand Jury for one count of Class C trafficking in prison contraband and one count of violations of release, which is Class E crime.

The charges stem from a July 31 incident when one of the trio was incarcerated at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.

On the morning of July 31, there were a number of anonymous notes in Officer Paul Rubashkin's office in the female housing unit of Two Bridges Regional Jail. The notes indicted that Janessa Moulton was “cheeking” her medication, namely Subutex, then bringing it back to St. Thomas and Clark.

Rubashkin then talked with Clark and informed her that as part of her bail she is not allowed to use or be in possession of drugs, and that she was subject to random searches and drug tests.

Clark then allegedly told Rubashkin that she would test positive for Suboxone she had reportedly received while at the Cumberland Court House the week prior, and that she wanted to speak with her lawyer before taking any tests.

Later, Clark allegedly told Rubashkin that it was Moulton who was bringing the drugs from the medical unit back into the housing pod.

Clark reportedly said that Moulton would go to the medical wing, ingest one of the pills but leave the other off to the side, which is where the term “cheeking” comes from. Moulton would then allegedly sweep the pill from her mouth and place it in her pocket, then share it with St. Thomas and Clark.

St. Thomas, who by that time was in custody in Waldo County, allegedly tested positive for Suboxone, while another woman named in by Clark tested negative. Court documents show that St. Thomas was being held on prior violations of bail conditions and Class A drug trafficking, and that as part of her current bail conditions was not to use or possess drugs.

For that, the trio was charged with trafficking in prison contraband, which is a Class C crime, and violation of bail conditions, which is a Class E crime.

Class C crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Class E crimes are defined as misdemeanors.