WATERVILLE — Police said they found drugs on a man while arresting him on a warrant just past midnight on Thursday.

Derek Gauthier, 38, of 9 Summer St., was arrested at 12:10 a.m. on a warrant for unpaid fines and multiple drug charges.

Officer Ryan Dinsmore saw Gauthier while driving and, because he was wanted on a warrant, stopped to arrest him.

Gauthier handed a woman at the scene a pill container when Dinsmore approached him, according to Deputy Chief Bill Bonney, but the container fell and Dinsmore picked it up.

Two benzodiazepine tablets — Klonopin and Xanax — were in the pill bottle, Bonney said. Both sedatives can be used to treat anxiety. Gauthier does not have a prescription for either drug, Bonney said.

Dinsmore also found Suboxone, a narcotic taken to treat addiction, and marijuana when he searched Gauthier.

Gauthier was charged with two counts of possession of scheduled drugs as a class E misdemeanor for the sedatives, which is punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000. He was also charged with possession of scheduled drugs as a class D misdemeanor for the narcotic, which is punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine up to $2,000. He was charged with a civil violation for the marijuana.

Gauthier posted $1,000 unsecured bail, meaning he paid $60 now and will have to pay $1,000 if he fails to appear in court. He also paid the $310 in fines he owed on the warrant.

Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239

mstamour@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @madelinestamour

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