A 70-year-old Bremen resident and Episcopal priest has plead guilty to the Class D misdemeanor of possession of a schedule W Drug, namely suboxone, a drug that reduces the symptoms of opiate dependence.
Stephen Foote, who was arrested Nov. 1, 2012 and charged with felony trafficking in prison contraband, was sentenced by agreement with the Attorney General’s Office to 364 days incarceration, with all but 45 days suspended, followed by one year of probation.
He entered the plea at the Lincoln County Courthouse this morning, according to his attorney Will Avantaggio.
In a written statement, Foote apologized for his actions and explained his motive. “What I did was not for personal gain,” Foote wrote. “In a moment of anxiety and concern for an inmate’s personal welfare and safety, I acted from my heart in forwarding through the mail prescription medication which had been sent to me.”
Foote was arrested after a joint, month-long investigation by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and Two Bridges Jail.
The priest allegedly received the suboxone from a third party outside the jail and brought it to two inmates, one of whom was a Bremen resident and former member of Foote’s parish. Authorities confiscated 10 sublingual strips of the drug.
“He knew he was doing something wrong, but he thought he was helping a friend,” LCSO Lt. Michael Murphy said after the arrest.
The Lincoln County News is continuing to obtain information on this story and a full report will be published in the print and e-editions on Weds., March 27.
