Andrew P. Baldwin Jr. (left) stands with his attorney, William Pagnano, during his sentence hearing at the Lincoln County Courthouse in Wiscasset on Wednesday, Aug. 1. (Abigail Adams photo)
A Friendship man has been sentenced to three years in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Waldoboro in December 2016.
Andrew P. Baldwin Jr., 21, pleaded guilty to a single count each of class A gross sexual assault, a felony, and class E violation of condition of release, a misdemeanor, at the Lincoln County Courthouse in Wiscasset on Tuesday, July 25.
He was sentenced to nine years and six months, with all but three years suspended, plus four years of probation, for gross sexual assault, which he will serve concurrently with a six-month sentence for violation of condition of release.
A count of Class D sexual abuse of a minor was dismissed as part of the plea deal.
Baldwin also pleaded guilty to two counts of class C assault and one count of class D endangering the welfare of a child in a Knox County case.
He was sentenced to two years for each assault charge and six months for endangering the welfare of a child. He will serve the Knox County sentences concurrently to each other and to the sentence for the Lincoln County case.
Baldwin was sentenced Wednesday, Aug. 2 – a delay Assistant District Attorney Katie Dakers requested to finalize probation conditions and give the victim of the sexual assault the opportunity to address the court.
The victim’s mother submitted a written statement to the court on the victim’s behalf. Neither were present for the hearing.
The assault “had a significant impact on the victim and the victim’s family,” Superior Court Justice Daniel Billings said. The cost of receiving counseling and treatment has also created a financial burden, he said.
In January, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the gross sexual assault by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. The assault occurred while the victim was visiting relatives in Waldoboro, Dakers said.
The victim told Baldwin to stop and physically resisted, but was not able to prevent the assault.
In the case out of Knox County, Baldwin’s infant child was brought to an emergency room with bruising and a fractured rib, which medical staff suspected was the result of abuse, Dakers said.
In subsequent interviews, it was determined that Baldwin and the child’s mother were having an argument and pulled the child between themselves, causing the injuries, Dakers said.
In imposing the sentence for the gross sexual assault, the court took into account the victim’s statement, in addition to all other factors of the case, including the defendant’s age, and determined the sentence was reasonable, Billings said.
Billings warned Baldwin against focusing only on the three years he will serve at a Maine Department of Corrections facility. “When you get out, you’ll have six years and six months over your head,” he said, and he could serve the full term if he violates probation.
Baldwin’s probation conditions prohibit contact with the victim and the victim’s family; require psychological evaluation and counseling, to include sex offender counseling; prohibit the possession or use of firearms; and require Baldwin to submit to random searches.
The goal of the conditions is to help Baldwin rehabilitate, Billings said, and he encouraged Baldwin to take them seriously.
Baldwin will also be a lifetime registrant on the Maine Sex Offender Registry when he is released from prison, Dakers said.
