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Madison woman charged with 12 counts of drug trafficking

Bail for Nicole Lamphere was set at $125,000 cash.
Credit: via Kennebec County Sheriff's Office
Nicole Lamphere, 37, of Madison

AUGUSTA, Maine — A Madison woman with a suspended license is accused of eluding deputies through the state's capital Wednesday in an SUV containing drugs and trying to make a run for it before being arrested.

A county deputy sergeant attempted to pull over the purple Geo Tracker on Civic Center Drive around 4:30 p.m. on suspicion of distracted driving, but the vehicle took off, Kennebec County Sheriff's Office Lt. J. Chris Read said.

Lt. Read said the vehicle began passing other cars and failed to stop for a red light at the intersection of Townsend Road. It continued north, driving into oncoming lanes of traffic, then drove out behind the Augusta Civic Center.

The driver, a woman, fled the SUV, but was later arrested. She was subsequently identified as Nicole Lamphere, 37, of Madison.

Inside the SUV, deputies found several narcotics including Suboxone, a brand name form of buprenorphine used to treat addiction, crack cocaine and nearly $2,000 in cash.

Lamphere was charged with 12 counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs, as well as eluding a police officer and operating after suspension.

Her bail was set at $125,000 cash with restrictions of possessing or using alcohol, illegal drugs or marijuana.

The conditions are also subject to search and testing with reasonable articulable suspicion, Read said.

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