Keene man accused of selling methamphetamine held without bail

Nicholas Rowe, 37, pleaded not guilty to three felony charges of sale of a narcotic drug the day after Keene police arrested him near his home on Whitcomb’s Mill Road, according to court documents.

Judge Jacki Smith ruled at his arraignment that Rowe will remain behind bars for now because he poses a danger to himself and the community. She rejected an argument by his public defender, Alex Weinstein, that he instead be assessed for appropriate substance abuse treatment and potentially be committed to the county’s behavioral health court. Weinstein said in court that Rowe takes his arrest seriously and wants to stop using drugs.

Police conducted a sting operation to obtain a search warrant for Rowe’s vehicle, a residence on Whitcomb’s Mill Road in Keene and a camper on the property, according to an affidavit written by Keene Police Detective Jennifer Truman.

In a news release last week, the Keene Police Department said it seized more than 160 grams of methamphetamine and $14,000 after executing that search warrant.

In June and July, a confidential informant provided police with information identifying Rowe as a methamphetamine distributor in Keene, Truman wrote in the affidavit. Police directed the informant to contact Rowe by cellphone in July to purchase $300 worth of methamphetamine, the affidavit states.

Shortly after the informant’s call, police saw Rowe leaving the Whitcomb’s Mill Road residence, and later observed him meet with the informant at an agreed upon location, Truman wrote. Police had previously searched the informant, whom they had equipped with a recording device, to confirm that they had no drugs on their person prior to the buy, the document states. The affidavit does not indicate the gender of the informant.

After the buy, the informant confirmed the meeting with Rowe and provided police with the drugs they said they bought from Rowe, Truman wrote. The recording device wasn’t working properly and did not record the informant’s phone call or the meeting with Rowe, the documents state.

Police then arranged a second controlled buy and a Homeland Security Air Unit observed Rowe and the informant meeting with each other near the Whitcomb’s Mill Road residence, according to the affidavit. After the buy, the informant again provided police with a baggie containing methamphetamine, the document states.

Upon his arrest Thursday, Rowe admitted to police that he sells methamphetamine and has done so for about five years, according to a second affidavit filed in his case written by Keene Police Detective Donald Lundin. Rowe also told police that the money in his safe came from drug sales, the affidavit states.

Rowe is scheduled for a dispositional conference next month. After the arraignment Friday, his lawyer declined to comment on the case.