Police also charge girlfriend in bust

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WARNING: This article contains explicit audio containing obscenities. It may not be suitable for all readers.
Julie Daigle
6 June 2012

FORT KENT – In a continuation of the drug bust story involving the arrest of Gary Ketchen for cultivation of 72 marijuana plants, Fort Kent Police have summonsed Kristie Taggett of Fort Kent for two offenses,  cultivation of marijuana and use of drug paraphernalia.

On June 4 at 1:45 p.m., Officer Richard Martin summonsed the 37-year-old woman “for the same violation,” said Fort Kent Police Chief Kenneth Michaud, referring to the arrest charges the police department issued to Ketchen the previous Friday.

According to Michaud, Taggett and Ketchen were renting 109 Highland Ave together. The police department did not issue the summons to Taggett until they completed their investigation of the crime, said Michaud.

The “use of drug paraphernalia” charge refers to the equipment the alleged perpetrators used to cultivate the illegal marijuana plants, said Michaud.

In a voicemail message left for Fiddlehead Focus at 1:33 p.m. on June 4, just prior to Martin’s summons, Taggett made threatening and hostile comments about the news report of her fiancée’s arrest.

She said, “I thought this was supposed to be a community oriented kind of website and paper with recipes, and not the downfall of our community.”

She complained about an error in the report, which stated that the illegal cultivation of the 72 plants was a Class C felony, instead of a Class D crime. Fiddlehead Focus corrected this information in the online report after police confirmed the severity of the charges.

“Before you print something for the whole United States and everyone else to see, you need to get your facts straight… So maybe get your head out of your (obscenity) and quit looking at recipes and look at the facts of pot.”

Then Taggett said, “I’m telling you right now, there better be a retraction when you print the Fiddlehead (obscenity) Focus, I’m telling you right now, Mr. Birden, if that is your (obscenity) name… or else there will be drastic measures taken.”

She also said she had lived in Fort Kent for her whole life and told the publisher of Fiddlehead Focus and the author of the original article to “go back to where you came from.”

Taggett will appear alongside Ketchen in court later this summer, on July 20.

BELOW IS A LINK TO THE AUDIO OF TAGGETT'S VOICEMAIL LEFT FOR FIDDLEHEAD FOCUS. IT CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL READERS/LISTENERS, PARTICULARLY YOUNG CHILDREN. PLEASE DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK IF OBSCENITIES OFFEND YOU.

Link to Audio

Comments

Maybe add criminal

Maybe add criminal threatening to the list of charges! Wow! I am ashamed to be a member of the same community as Taggett and Ketchum! Let this be a lesson to kids to say no to drugs, look what kind of person it turns you in to. Lets face it Miss Taggett, what your fiance and yourself did is illegal, plain and simple. The both of you did it. Mr Birden was doing HIS job to report the news and let people know what kind of scum are living in our neighborhoods. Thank you Mr. Birden and your staff. You all do an incredible job. Dont let these low life drug dealing scum get the best of you. Oh and one more thing Miss Taggett. Ketchum does not sound like a name that is from around here and if i am correct in that then why does HE go back to where he came from people like the two of you have no place in this town. Kudos to law enforcement for a job well done. Miss Tagget you do the crime now do the time.
Submitted by MomofWESstudent on 6 June 2012 - 6:56am.

discusting pig

get a life ur ashamed to live in the same community as me im sure your really one to talk you probably got more skeletons in your closet than andrew birden has recipees
Submitted by ketchen's girl on 6 June 2012 - 2:59pm.

Good article Andrew, Great

Good article Andrew, Great bust Richard, real childish and stupid Kristie and Ketchup (I know, I know). Just think, the warden can preform your wedding for you.
Submitted by pundit on 6 June 2012 - 8:53am.

get a life

You obviiously know of our upcoming marriage and are obviously jealous that your alone. Anyone who can sit and call names and slander a beautiful couple is jealous and should return to the hole that they came out of to write this comment I think its a joke that you cant even write your real name under the comment your nothing but a jealous lonley coward maybe you should get a job at the focus u fit right in
Submitted by ketchen's girl on 6 June 2012 - 2:37pm.

Do NOT Judge ANYONE till YOU walk a mile in their shoes

I have to say that the comment above about this young couple being skum really was NOT called for and NOBODY has a right to JUDGE this couple and i say NOBODY.Who is WITHOUT SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE.How would you FEEL if this was YOUR daughter or son? EVERYONE should mind their OWN business and when someone falls instead of bringing them DOWN,why dont people reach out with kindness or say a prayer for them cause we ALL fall in life one way or another or fall short of being PERFECT.How do you think the parents of these people FEEL or grand parents and see these mean comments cause they are hard working people and tax payers and GOOD PARENTS and they NEED our SUPPORT now more then ever and our prayers so the next time you call ANYONE skum maybe you should look in the mirror at YOURSELF before JUDGING.They broke the law,yes and have to go to court and let the courts give them their JUDGEMENT,NOT YOU or our community.As for the voice mail of kristi,I FEEL it is PERSONAL and should NOT have been posted on here so she can be laughed at and humiliated by her actions out of anger and HURTING cause this is no laughing matter and I am SADDENED that people can be so cruel with their words and so QUICK TO JUDGE.BE careful cause Karma really does come back cause what you GIVE ALWAYS COMES BACK TO YOU.So GIVE KINDNESS & PRAYERS and if EVERYONE did this the world would be such a BEAUTIFUL place.
Submitted by Lana Puckett on 6 June 2012 - 10:02am.

Forgot to mention

Doctors,Nurses,Lawyers,school teachers,Police man,Judges and good citizens are a few who smoke marijuana BEHIND CLOSED DOORS around the world so IF that be KNOWN then half our community would be going to court........
Submitted by Lana Puckett on 6 June 2012 - 12:33pm.

Let's look at this, growing

Let's look at this, growing pot in your basement or making an error in a report. Someone should be looking in the mirror before calling a reporter and yelling at them about "errors". You and your boyfriend did something very illegal and that is the plain truth. Deal with it! The smell and aroma of cooked pot lingered in that area for months, with the drug history they both have, who knows what the children in the area have inhaled. You did a great job with your article Andrew. Drugs in the community are destroying it. Throw the book at them
Submitted by jifomeg on 6 June 2012 - 12:50pm.

get a life

Here are the facts : Gary and i are both recovering drug addicts that have both been sober for 6 years. We are a good couple who enjoys a simple life and family is what is most important to us. just who ldo you think you are judging us we will face the true judge on july 20 as far as i am concerned you are just jealous not too many people can grow pot that stinks up the entire town u probably got a meth lab in your basement you should keep your mouth closed and get a life if you were such a big man then why is it you cant put your name at the bottom of this comment oh and ps. you grow pot not cook it we know what is on your brain
Submitted by ketchen's girl on 6 June 2012 - 2:52pm.

props to the police force

ill say this as strait forward as i can. The Police force did an excellent job. lana you are right there are tons of people (doctors lawyers etc etc) that do smoke pot behind closed doors, which in my opinion is fine. its not even as bad as drinking, in fact its been proven medically to help people with certain illnesses which is a good thing. i do not condone smoking pot, however i surely don't look down on anyone who chooses to do so or specifically has to. moving on... miss tagget does have a valid point in that they have to retract a false statement or it is simply as illegal as growing the pot itself. its called slander. i don't see what the big fuss is all about, the police did their job, the newspaper corrected itself and everything should be fine...... lets all move on.
Submitted by b200000 on 6 June 2012 - 1:16pm.

Genesis 1:29 Then God said,

Genesis 1:29

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.

It's sad that people are shamed and persecuted for the use of a simple, harmless plant. If they really wanted to clean up our communities they would get rid of all the prescription opiates and amphetamines that are floating around.

Submitted by inthegash on 6 June 2012 - 1:48pm.

lol

i don't think god was referring to the marijuana plant. These opiates you speak of are also derived from the poppy plant. cocaine as well is also derived from the coca plant.
Submitted by b200000 on 6 June 2012 - 2:12pm.

Derived being the key word

Derived being the key word b2000000. Let me know when a stoner gets the munchies bad enough to eat the face off another human being.
Submitted by inthegash on 6 June 2012 - 8:15pm.

You obviously don't get it.

Okay. What I was saying, if you read my posts correctly, was that this post was unnecessary. The story about them getting caught is completely fine. THAT'S news. THAT'S something people should hear about. THAT'S the important part. Writing and article about this woman calling and ripping him a new one is not news. It does not matter. It was rude and uncalled for, but the community could have went without hearing this. But, I guess small communities thrive off of drama. This is probably one of the most ridiculous articles I've ever read. If you really sit and think about it, it is NOT IMPORTANT that this woman yelled through a message for Andrew. Really. So let me clear this up, since I've already said it a few times and people still do not understand. Previous post about them getting caught = Good. This post = bad. Get it?
Submitted by lauramichaud on 6 June 2012 - 8:30pm.

b200000 is correct, the

b200000 is correct, the police were only doing their jobs. However, I started reading this publication when it first came out, and the downward slide toward sensationalism has lead them to be too quick to publish, as seen with this story and the story about the young man who stole from his grandfather. I hope that more time is taken in the future to prevent mis-reporting, or you may as well change the name to the Fiddlehead Inquirer. Hey, here's a hot tip, I heard that they found bat boy in a cave near fish river falls, and he got charged with TWO felonies! Hahahaha. Sorry if that's a tad ridiculous, but so is this thread. It's a small town people, not hard to get a story correct, and even less difficult to not demonize people for growing a little grass. It's not like they were hurting anyone, or stealing from their family members, or driving hammered into a utility pole, etc. Funny how this article is getting so much attention, yet below it there is an article glorifying alcohol. Go figure.
Submitted by Wanderer on 6 June 2012 - 1:57pm.

And whoever thought it was

And whoever thought it was funny to call that person "ketchup", well you obviously are an idiot and I sincerely hope one day you get exactly what you deserve. Making fun of someone's name, really? What kind of people have we become?
Submitted by Wanderer on 6 June 2012 - 2:09pm.

Language

We respectfully ask that people express their opinions without using profanity on this website. With that guideline, we have removed a comment in this thread.
Submitted by admin on 6 June 2012 - 2:51pm.

stop slandering our name

your nothing but hypocrites in sit in your little office and throw stones who the heck do you think you are get a life we are suppose to be celebrating our graduates in the valley
Submitted by ketchen's girl on 6 June 2012 - 2:56pm.

Well I would like to know why

Well I would like to know why my response was taken down. There wasn't anything profane about it.
Submitted by Ken P on 7 June 2012 - 1:25am.

WOW

Kudos to FKPD! I must say, I am more proud to know that the law enforcement officers protecting my community did their job by busting two drug dealing citizens than I am ashamed that a recently established news publisher incorrectly reported the class of the crime. Last time I checked, I think this may be at the bottom of most people’s concerns list. If we are going to point fingers for “judging” and being cruel, let’s look at the facts. Name-calling may not be “justifiable” but looking at the big picture here, 72 marijuana plants spreading drugs to who knows how many people is not something that anyone should be looking to defend. It’s a terrible thing for a parent to watch their “child” be sentenced to jail for being a drug dealer, but let’s not forget just how terrible it might be for a parent to watch their child become a drug addict because of drug dealing losers like this. Taggett and Ketchum – may the judge be relentless when you go to court and let’s hope that this may be the first of many more large busts in this area. Very sad that the people of Fort Kent will work hard their whole lives and pay taxes to support people like this. And to make the assumption that the people who are not in support of a large operation of marijuana plants being grown in the basement of one’s home are just hypocrites that work in an office is just plain shallow and ignorant and goes to show how important it is to get people like you off the streets. Once again, go Richard Martin, the anonymous “tipper” and anyone else involved in getting these worthless people out of our town for as long as we can.
Submitted by mainer on 6 June 2012 - 3:13pm.

Define recovering drug addict

Define recovering drug addict please? A recovering drug does not grow pot plants in their apartment, never mind 72 plants! Who are you trying to fool? And the legal defintion of slander is purposeful harm on ones character by deliberate misrepresentation while knowing the remarks are false, certainly not a "reporting error on misdeamor charge", which BTW was corrected. Take responsibility for your actions and stop blaming everyone else, you did something illegal, suck it up, and NOT everyone thinks pot is alright, selling (which I can't imagine why anyone would have 72 plants in their apartment without that intent, but that is only my thinking), growing, smoking pot while calling yourself "recovered" is an insult to people who are really recovering drug addicts
Submitted by stjohnvally on 6 June 2012 - 3:29pm.

misrepresentation...

i know what slander is. thats why i said since it was corrected no harm no foul. if it was left uncorrected and the person involved asked it to BE corrected then it would constitute slander, knowing full well the difference. like i said earlier the police did their work, everything was corrected, so im going to leave this alone and move on.
Submitted by b200000 on 6 June 2012 - 3:55pm.

Way to go FKPD

I am very happy to know that there are 2 more drug dealers off the streets. Kristi your message to the Fiddlehead Focus is an embarrassment to you and your family. You were more worried about what class the crime was than you were about the crime that you actually committed. How can you justify that you did nothing wrong? Of course those drugs were going to end up in the streets and probably in the hands of children. And Lana as far as feeling sorry for the parents yes I agree that the entire family will be affected, but obviously Kristie wasn't worried about her family. I hope you, Kristie and your finance get what you deserve.
Submitted by gasher on 6 June 2012 - 3:37pm.

Marijuana

.. The fear of marijuana... stems from its limitless potential for treating illness, in that both the pharmaceutical industry and the medical monopoly would lose billions of dollars if marijuana became the non-drug of choice.
Submitted by Lana Puckett on 6 June 2012 - 4:12pm.

Seriously....

I didn't read any of the comments, but I read the article. I don't understand why this article was written. Mr. Birden could have simply corrected his mistake in the previous article, and everything would have been fine. The reason this article was written was to get a rise out of everyone. It was unnecessary, and extremely childish.
Submitted by lauramichaud on 6 June 2012 - 4:20pm.

CHILDISH

The phone call that was made to fiddlehead focuss was childish. Im sorry that was putting it lightly she made a total fool of herself. If a person does not want to make the paper then maybe they should not do things to end up in the paper. Fiddlehead focuss did their job in reporting the news with the facts. They do not need to deal with idiot callers like herself! Keep up the great work Fiddlehead focuss I am behind your paper 100%!!
Submitted by msmaine29 on 6 June 2012 - 6:07pm.

school system

I sure hope the school system will not take this taggett lady to sub any more. If so I will have something to say about that teaching my child!!!
Submitted by msmaine29 on 6 June 2012 - 6:23pm.

Nothing childish about

Nothing childish about reporting facts. If someone called Fox, CNN, New York Times, St John Valley Times, or any other news source and did what Kristie did, it would have been reported. Andrew did not make anything up, he reported the facts. Heck, he has the audio to prove it. If there was childish behavior, is was not on Andrew's part. I think fiddleheadfocus does a great job on reporting the facts. When they do make mistakes, they correct them. A lot of news agencies don't. As far as I'm concerned, that shows good ethics and humility to admit mistakes when they make them, which is not often considering how much reporting they do. Andrew, you and your team keep up the great work!
Submitted by Ryan2000 on 6 June 2012 - 5:21pm.

Yes this is humility. Please

Yes this is humility. Please learn the definition of humility.
Submitted by jbasc on 13 June 2012 - 10:49am.

GREAT JOB FKPD

I am happy to know we now have two drug dealers off the street. WOW i can not believe that phone call as if getting caught and getting the charges she has was not enough she has to make an idiot of herself. I love fiddlehead focuss you guy do a great job. continue to spread our valley news good and bad we want to know what is going on. Welcome to the valley!!!!!!
Submitted by msmaine29 on 6 June 2012 - 6:00pm.

Good ethics and humility?!

It was childish. It was very childish. I understand that how she presented herself in the phone call was also childish, but it's not a story. There is no point in writing an article about it. I'm sure people have done similar things to other new sites, and they never got a story about it. It's really not something everyone needs to know. We're suppose to be reading about NEWS on here. Not about some angry woman who, in the heat of the moment, called and overreacted. Yes, I understand what he wrote is true. But "good ethics and humility" isn't writing a post about how this woman yelled at him through the phone. She shouldn't have done it like that, true, but all this article did was start drama. It probably made her more angry than she already is. "Good ethics and Humility" would be to just fix his mistake, and let it go. All this did was humiliate her more than she probably already was. So... Good job with that. Real good ethics. So, as I said, it is childish. There's just no need for it at all.
Submitted by lauramichaud on 6 June 2012 - 7:15pm.

Growing 72 plants in the middle of town isn't a story?

I'm pretty sure that growing 72 plants in a basement that is located roughly 1/2 a mile from an elementary school would be considered a story! I believe that Andrew and the FKPD did a great job on this. Thanks for the audio though! It made my night. I'm sure I'll still be chuckling in my sleep. I also loved the recovering part, from what i heard, users will sometimes quit when they start selling because they don't want to smoke the profit. There must of been a big jump in electricity to run all those lights etc.. I'm sure if maine public goes back 6 years they might see a big spike in the electric bill. But who are we to judge, we're just the taxpayers that payed for the lights!
Submitted by Tanker99 on 6 June 2012 - 7:41pm.

Accountability

I do not usually take the time to comment on various articles however I feel the need to put in my two cents... If folks who feel Fiddlehead Focus did a poor job reporting then please by all means start your own newspaper!! News is all about telling the community what is going on in their community. Frankly this story needs to be told as too many community members simply do not believe that drugs (pot is a drug) are in the St. John Valley and prefer to believe it is simply in the cities. Drugs abusers/users and those who are supplying the drugs need to be held more accountable for their actions, regardless if it is pot, bath salts (and yes bath salts are in Fort Kent), etc. Most people who react as Kristie did are simply reacting because they know they did wrong and got caught - accountability goes a long way to make people think twice before they do something. This community needs to look out for each other and that includes holding members accountable for their actions, not hiding the issue, pretending it does not exit, etc. Thank you Fiddlehead Focus for taking the time to inform the community of this story as it effects us all and shows the great work of the law enforcement community.
Submitted by concernedcitizen on 6 June 2012 - 8:07pm.

Tanker99 Doesn't Know where electricity comes from

"But who are we to judge, we're just the taxpayers that payed for the lights!" No, the taxpayers are not, the people who pay the electric bill do. You know that bill that comes in the mail that you pay each month. Thats not a "tax" and its not being shared with the community. I am guessing you are a worthless welfare junkie though and figure everyone just gets their electric payed for? Who knows... certainly not you.
Submitted by jbasc on 13 June 2012 - 11:15am.

jbasc

Not sure if I should laugh that you're mad about this comment compared to other things that was said in the replies and what happened in this article or should I laugh that you don't know how a tax funded check works? I'll explain it real quick, you get the check in the mail, you go cash it, then you go pay your bills with it such as electricity. It's not to complicating, I was able to explain it in one sentence!
Submitted by Tanker99 on 13 June 2012 - 5:30pm.

condtradiction is the key word.

this is absurd lol.
Submitted by b200000 on 6 June 2012 - 9:33pm.

Wow

I moved away after graduation and every time I go back to visit, It gets a little harder for me to back. The amount of drugs that have taken over the valley people amazes me. Now before you start slamming my comment, No I don't smoke marijuana, But I don't see any problem with people who do. I have lots of friends that do it. I don't even have a problem with people growing there own (NOT TO SELL). I do have a problem with someone growing 72 plants and wanting to sell it. That is a problem. I know everyone is saying whats the big deal, It was only pot. Well here is my rant about it. Pot was pretty much the only drug that people used to do before I moved and now there is everything you can imagine up there. The amount of people that are hooked on drugs is astonishing. I look at a ton of young people Who don't work, who are living in the low income housing buildings, get food stamps and Mainecare. We (the working people) pay for this. and where do they spend there money. On the pot that people like Kristie sell to these kids. I think the FKPD and the focus did a great job on this article. My hat goes off to you guys. And I hope the focus keeps letting the people know who are getting caught because if I still lived there I would not want MY kid around anyone selling drugs and would like to know what is going on in my community. Thank you
Submitted by Usedtolivethere on 6 June 2012 - 9:41pm.

Move on from it

There is nothing more that Fiddlehead Focus can do at this point. They corrected any mistake in a timely manner, just as we expect from a news source. Anyone stating that they should "take their time" obviously don't realize the amount of time these writers take in cross referencing their information. We all expect our news to the minute, and this case is no different. The fact that this article had to be created, the fact that the actually crime happened is the reason it is in the paper. Community news comes in light-hearted banter at times, and sometimes with really terrible facts about members of our community at other times. Thus being said, the act occurred... the news will run, but please try to show a little dignity and accept your faults. Pointing fingers at other people who are either doing their jobs (or those who are merely stating their opinions on a topic they are completely disconnected from) only looks poorly on a person; also shows guilt. It happened, move on from it and everyone else will, as well.
Submitted by sonya m on 6 June 2012 - 11:06pm.

Telling Mr. Birden to move back where he came from

Fellow Readers:

I am not writing about the drug issue. I prefer articles about politics or local cultural happenings. However, a newspaper is not a newspaper without police news.

I am addressing the comment in the phone message, telling Mr. Birden to move back to where he came from.

The flag at the Fort Kent Post Office is an American flag. An American citizen has the right to live anywhere in the 50 states, plus the U.S. territories. The same applies to someone who received a permanent residency visa from the U.S. government.

Local pride and ethnic pride is fine. For example, my late mother was born in St-James, Normandy, France. I have bumper stickers from St-James and Normandy on my car bumper. I try to read a few newspaper articles in French everyday, so I do not completely forget the language of my ancestors.

However, there is a point where an attitude of Fort Kent for Fort Kenters can go too far. A similar attitude of "Germany for the Germans" was tried from 1933-45. "France for the French" was tried by the collaborationist Vichy-French government from 1940-44.

We all know the results of both experiments.

If someone does not like one of Mr. Birden's articles in the future, please stick to the matter at hand. Mr. Birden's possible geographical origins has no bearing on his articles.

Sincerely,
Joseph Normand Grinnell
Lille

P.S. Entre parentheses, je suis né au Connecticut. J'ai acheté une maison à Lille en 2003. J'ai déménagé ici en 2004. Je pense que j'ai le droit de vivre ici dans la Vallée St-Jean, comme tout le monde. Je pense que Mr. Birden a les même droits.

Submitted by Joseph Normand ... on 6 June 2012 - 11:30pm.

EVERYBODY DOES IT!

One thing that you people have a hard time to understand is that you can't, and I repeat, can't stop people from doing drugs. The best thing you can do is inform them. I know lots of people up here that smoke the ganja and let me tell you they come from all walks of life. Either they have tried it, smoke on occasion, or still continuously smoke. There is no way to stop it. It's like a Hydra. You cut one head off and two more takes it's place. But marijuana is not a drug. It is an herb. Lots of great stuff about this wonderful plant. But thank you Fiddlehead Focus for giving the sheeple want they want and love. DRAMA! But you do know that the more you make something look bad, the more the younger kids want to do it. Isn't everything more fun when it's illegal? At least that is how the younger generations see it. Trust me. We all used to be young at some point. I have been out of school for 6-7 years and nothing has changed.
Submitted by Ken P on 7 June 2012 - 1:40am.

REALLY??

I'm not interested in getting wrapped up into all this "comment drama" but I do feel the need to make a point. 1. How old are we Kristi? Is anyone really going to take well to you DEMANDING something be done? Really? Do you realize you threatened Andrew Birden? And leaving it on an answering machine of all things. People never cease to amaze me! 2. I dont know where you got that Fiddlehead Focus is just about recipes? You apparently have not been keeping up with their work, and therefore should not make assumptions. You know what they say about assumptions. Keep up the great work Andrew! 3. It is what it is, we all have very different views on marijuana. The FACTS are.. IT'S ILLEGAL! You don't like that try to change it! But it's still illegal, and when we break laws and rules there are consequences as silly as you may think those laws are (didn't we learn that in kindergarten?) 4.And lastly.. once again.. How old are we? Telling someone to go back to where they came from, when Mr. Ketchen himself is not a local?? Not only is that such a close minded statement, but I'm not sure I get the logic. Not to mention, I've also been a resident my entire life, however doesn't make us the boss of FK, and just because you have been a member certainly doesn't give you a pass to break the laws. And don't forget there is a HUGE difference between being an active member of a community and being a member of the community. Many individuals have joined our community as adults and have been positive influences in this town.
Submitted by my2cents on 7 June 2012 - 6:08am.

I would just like to add that

I would just like to add that this story was not about the debate about pot being harmful or not, it was about the attack and threat of a news reporter who btw has the right to print anything he wants. But I do want to clarify to the pro-pot people that not everyone "smokes it" and not everybody shares the idea that is is fine. I do agree that people from all walks of life do smoke it, but it is not the majority. I have had the opportunity to work with someone whom people would consider had a "high class job" and believe me when I say, that habit was quite obvious and hindered his performance in many ways. It was addressed and he has since stopped. He will tell you how "addicted" he was himself. So please spare the people that are not smoking pot, the BS of "everyone does it, it is not harmful", because that is simply not the belief shared by as much people as you think. Many many people do not condone the use of pot and have had family members in trouble because of it, had to deal with their own issues around it and hold strong beliefs against it. Not to mention the last time I checked it was ILLEGAL! To excuse it by saying "doctors and lawyers use it", is simply that, AN EXCUSE! Well not as much people as you would think smoke it in those high jobs and they would still need to be held accountable if they got caught! Please do not feel so sorry for this young lady's family, as I am sure some of them were very very very very aware. How does this young lady support herself? I believe it it is off of a disability check, well if they can run a pot plant operation, hide it from the world for a quite awhile and afford to purchase the equipment used to run this, then I am sure they could find gainful employment. We paid for this with our own tax dollars, and in return her and her "husband to be" put drugs in our children's hands, why on earth would we defend this?
Submitted by stjohnvally on 7 June 2012 - 7:09am.

Kristie I can honestly say

Kristie I can honestly say that I am proud of the message you left him. There is no need for the crap he is doing, and not only to you. This site started out as a recipe, and crossword thing, and ended up being the site everyone visits for their little gossip sessions. Not everyone is perfect in this world, and those of you who have judged her from what happened, obviously don't know her as a person. Everyone has their "personal" life, which they don't include the whole public for THIS reason. This site should be shut down for multiple reasons. People feed off of this site to just have a reason to talk sh*t about the people they don't like, or look down upon. I can say that 99% of the people that post their "snooty" comments on here about people, aren't so perfect themselves. get a life!
Submitted by yaaabudddy. on 7 June 2012 - 7:47am.

Proud of her?

You are proud of her for being an idiot by calling the reporter for reporting the news because she got caught? I don't care how well you know someone or what their "personal" story is. Illegal is illegal is illegal. We all have personal stories. It's life. Not an excuse.
Submitted by Fromthecounty on 7 June 2012 - 12:25pm.

Easy money

This is nothing more than an attempt to make easy money. If you"re growing for personal use, I have no problem with it, regardless of what the law is. 70+ plants is likely for distribution and, as a parent, I take extreme exception to it. Good job Fiddle head. This is a bump in the road of life for Ms. Taggett. It will pass and we will forget and move on. I hope she feels, at least a little ashamed for what her parents are going through. I don't know of any better or harder working people then them.
Submitted by slofr8 on 7 June 2012 - 8:13am.

RESPONSIBILITY

Typical behavior. Adults who adamantly refuse to take responsibility for their actions. Then attempt to place blame on others who have nothing to do with the incident. So very typical.
Submitted by Phantom2Driver on 7 June 2012 - 8:43am.

Kristie, now please, did you

Kristie, now please, did you just call yourself a recovering drug addict? I think I should stop you right there, COME ON! But then again this is typical pothead/druggie behavior, blame the whole world but themselves for their own actions. I feel bad for your step-father, but that is about the only one I feel for. Karma works, spit in the air and it usually lands in your face. Gossip is not so fun when it is about your own family, is it? It will all come out in the wash. You should be charged with criminal threatening by the comments you made this newspaper.
Submitted by tremecir on 7 June 2012 - 10:32am.

I read it for the articles

Did you hear?!?!? A woman called the paper and threatened a reporter! She left it on their answering machine and the paper uploaded a link so we could all hear it! This is news. Not drama or something written strictly to create drama. Plain and simple, someone got caught growing an illegal substance and someone threatened someone else. Newsworthy. Whether you are for or against marijuana, it is ILLEGAL. The police did their jobs. Awesome job! The paper reported the news. Great work! The only childish behavior and drama created was done by Kristie herself, with the ridiculous phone call and even more asinine comments she made on the thread. I understand the people who are siding with Kristie probably know her personally. Great! You can be a character witness at the trial. But for those of us who want local news so we can find out what's happening in our neighborhood and find out exactly who our neighbors are, including but not limited to: drug dealers, people who threaten others, the paramedic who saved a life or simply who had a baby, we read Fiddlehead Focus. For local news.
Submitted by Fromthecounty on 7 June 2012 - 12:16pm.

Gossip, really?

If you are calling this story, or any other FF story "gossip" then please tell me what news really is? Come off of it people. News is gossip no matter the subject. It is not a fabricated story, so it's not national enquirer worthy, either. How is this any different from any other news source?
Submitted by sonya m on 7 June 2012 - 1:58pm.

Title 17-A: MAINE CRIMINAL

Title 17-A: MAINE CRIMINAL CODE Chapter 9: OFFENSES AGAINST THE PERSON §209. Criminal threatening 1. A person is guilty of criminal threatening if he intentionally or knowingly places another person in fear of imminent bodily injury. [ 1975, c. 499, §1 (NEW) .] 2. Criminal threatening is a Class D crime. §210. Terrorizing 1. A person is guilty of terrorizing if that person in fact communicates to any person a threat to commit or to cause to be committed a crime of violence dangerous to human life, against the person to whom the communication is made or another, and the natural and probable consequence of such a threat, whether or not such consequence in fact occurs, is: A. To place the person to whom the threat is communicated or the person threatened in reasonable fear that the crime will be committed. Violation of this paragraph is a Class D crime; Chapter 93-C: INTERFERENCE WITH CONSTITUTIONAL AND CIVIL RIGHTS §2931. Prohibition A person may not, by force or threat of force, intentionally injure, intimidate or interfere with, or intentionally attempt to injure, intimidate or interfere with or intentionally oppress or threaten any other person in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege, secured to that person by the Constitution of Maine or laws of the State or by the United States Constitution or laws of the United States. Violation of this paragraph is a Class D crime.
Submitted by ClassDcrimes on 8 June 2012 - 2:03am.

My last comment

I want to finish by saying i am NOT defending anyone for their actions but when someone calls this couple skum is really poor attitude towards them and commenting she is on disability is really none of anyone's business.As for marijuana being ileaguel well it is LEAGUEL for a lot of people who need it and God put it on this earth for a reason.It is a plant and has helped a lot of people with pain and disease and not to mention saved a little girl's life from a brain tumor.Our Government can prescribe pills today that are killing our youth and so many others each year and that is ok and put aspertane in our food which is killing us and we say it is ok.We kill 4,000 baby's a day and we say it is ok?? The bible says we perish cause of lack of KNOWLEDGE and I have no FAITH in our Government .... I am AGAINST drugs and drug dealers but PROUD of our Law Enforcement in Fort kent and FEEL BLESSED to live in Aroostook County.MY mother's Heritage and PROUD OF IT!!! and God bless kristie and her family and PROUD she has been drug free for 6 years and right now she NEEDS encouraging words to get the help she needs and when someone falls i am not one to throw stones at them cause that is the time to lift a hand no matter what cause after all WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?? He sure would not throw stones at a sinner cause if that was the case we would ALL be stoned to death.....
Submitted by Lana Puckett on 8 June 2012 - 10:15am.