FARMINGTON – The Franklin County grand jury indicted two men on trafficking charges last week, relating to a 2019 law enforcement search of an apartment on Church Street in Jay.
Bret Dalot, 31 of Jay, and Joseph Truluck, 40 of Brooklyn, NY, were both indicted on two counts of unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs each. Criminal forfeiture proceedings have also been initiated against both men, targeting cash located during the search, and Dalot also faces a misdemeanor charge of violating the conditions of release. A third individual, a woman, previously pleaded guilty to felony unlawful furnishing in relation to the case as part of a deferred disposition.
According to an affidavit filed by Special Agent Nicholas Gulliver with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, police received information about Dalot reportedly selling heroin and cocaine base for an out-of-state drug trafficker out a Church Street address. Dalot and the third individual, Erika Meaney, 33 of Jay, were out on bail conditions relating to a separate Maine State Police drug case, according to the affidavit, and police proceeded to search the apartment on Dec. 9, 2019.
During the search, police allege they located needles, sandwich bags and a scale in a room in the apartment, as well as “a brown powdery substance that appeared to be heroin.” They also found another male subject in a bedroom, with that man later identified as Truluck. He reportedly told law enforcement that he lived in a separate apartment in the building. Both Dalot and Meaney admitted to recently using heroin; Dalot also said that he received drugs for allowing Truluck to stay in the residence.
The Jay residents were arrested and Gulliver went to apply for a search warrant. During that process, Truluck reportedly informed law enforcement that he had a “significant” amount of heroin and crack cocaine in a black backpack in the bedroom. Per the affidavit, Gulliver returned to the Church Street address with the search warrant and located and seized a corner baggie containing a small amount of heroin, as well as scales, needles, sandwich baggies with missing corners and a drug ledger. Inside a black backpack, Gulliver wrote that law enforcement found $5,300 and 20.3 grams of a substance that preliminarily tested positive for crack cocaine. Another 1.4 grams of cocaine base was found in three corner baggies located in a cigarette box. Also in the bedroom, police allege that 24 grams of a substance suspected to be heroin was found under a chair seat. Finally, $240 in cash was found in Truluck’s pants pocket.
All three individuals were charged initially with felony trafficking. Both Dalot and Truluck were indicted last week by the Franklin County grand jury on two counts of trafficking each, with the two charges relating to the intentional or knowingly trafficking of crack cocaine and heroin, respectively. Criminal forfeiture proceedings, targeting the money seized during the investigation, have also been filed against both men.
In October 2020, trafficking charges against Meaney were dismissed, with the Jay resident pleading guilty to unlawful furnishing of a scheduled drugs as well as admitting to the criminal forfeiture of $5,540 in cash seized by police. As part of the arranged plea’s deferred disposition arrangement, Meaney would be allowed to later withdraw her guilty plea and plead instead to misdemeanor possession and pay a $400 fine. If unsuccessful, due either to new criminal conduct, use of illegal drugs or otherwise not meeting the agreement’s requirements, Meaney would serve an open sentence on the unlawful furnishing charge.
An indictment means that after considering the evidence the district attorney has presented, the grand jury believes there is probable cause, or a “reasonable belief” that the crime occurred.
