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Police defend drug arrest after assistance call

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ROCHESTER - Some eyebrows may have been raised when Rochester Police arrested a suspected heroin user after a call from their household alerted emergency responders of an overdose, but a department spokesman said on Tuesday police stand by the arrest and are hoping it will lead to a pathway for recovery.

David J. Brown, 30, of 12 Seasons Lane, was charged with possession of a controlled drug, heroin, a Class B felony punishable by up to seven years in state prison.

He was freed on $5,000 personal recognizance bail and given an arraignment date next month at Rochester District Court.

"Hopefully he'll now be able to get into the system, maybe through drug court, and get the services he needs to free himself from his addition," said Rochester Police Public Information Officer Capt. Gary Boudreau.

Boudreau said Frisbie EMS transported the man to Frisbie Hospital on Friday night after police received a 911 call for an overdose.

"We got him taken care of that night, and now hopefully he can get begin a recovery," Boudreau added.

While some questioned whether police procedure in this case could have a chilling effect on users who might be afraid now to call police in the event of an overdose, Boudreau explained that, in fact, an arrest like this could be the best pathway to recovery.

Strafford County's Drug Court is a parallel justice system to regular court that runs programs specific to the needs of residents fighting addiction.

Interestingly, on Saturday, the Strafford County Chiefs of Police in conjunction with the Strafford County Sheriff's Department will hold an Access to Recovery Day at Wentworth Douglass Hospital in Dover, where victims of addiction can seek out services and programs designed to help them get off drugs.

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