Judge Michael Kainen issued a $5,000 arrest warrant for an alleged fentanyl trafficker

Judge Michael Kainen issued a $5,000 arrest warrant for an alleged fentanyl trafficker who failed to show up in court on Monday. Stephen Turcotte Jr., 45, of St. Johnsbury, has been charged with felony fentanyl trafficking and a misdemeanor charge of operating with a suspended driver’s license. Turcotte was arrested by St. Johnsbury Police Ofc. Davis Guyer on March 6 at midnight on Main Street in St. Johnsbury. Ofc. Guyer noticed a Mitsubishi Outlander parked on Main Street with the engine running and violating the Winter Parking Ban, which runs from midnight to 6 a.m. “I approached the vehicle to have the operator move the vehicle off the street, the vehicle was still running, and was occupied by one person…I recognized Turcotte from prior law enforcement encounters, and he identified himself to me.” wrote Ofc. Guyer in his report. The officer also noticed a questionable, handwritten license plate on the vehicle. Dispatch advised Ofc. Guyer that Turcotte had a criminally suspended driver’s license and an active arrest warrant. “I pulled a wad of money from his left pants pocket,” wrote Ofc. Guyer. “Inside the wad of money was folded-up wax paper baggies.”  “The substance field tested positive for Fentanyl.” Turcotte failed to appear in court for a status conference on the charge of driving without a license. Turcotte was then issued an arrest warrant. A check of his driving record showed his privilege to operate a motor vehicle went under suspension in the State of Vermont in May of 2016.  Turcotte faces a possible sentence of 32 years in prison and over $1 million dollars in fines.