A former Wiscasset man was sentenced to four years in prison Thursday, March 12 after pleading guilty to a robbery and selling heroin in Augusta.
Freeman Adelbert “Del” Taylor Jr., 41, will also forfeit $6,832 in proceeds from heroin sales, pay $4,000 in restitution for the robbery and $240 for drug testing expenses, and serve four years of probation after his release, according to the Kennebec Journal.
Court documents list Taylor’s address as 970 Gardiner Rd. Lot #24, in the Maplewood Mobile Home Park off Route 27. Taylor was living in an apartment at 386 Water St. in Augusta when he was selling heroin, however.
A team of nine deputies from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the apartment May 1, 2014.
Taylor initially said there were no drugs in the apartment, but the team located 12 grams of heroin in plastic bags that Taylor had attempted to flush down the toilet, according to statements by sheriff’s office personnel.
The sheriff’s office also seized two grams of crack cocaine, a crack pipe, ledgers, a scale, and a Sony PlayStation 4 with the serial number removed, according to the arrest report.
Taylor confessed during the search that “he has a bad heroin and crack addiction so he sells drugs to support his habit,” Detective Michael Bickford said in the arrest report.
Justice Robert Mullen sentenced Taylor to 14 years in prison with all but four years suspended for aggravated trafficking in heroin, illegal possession of a firearm, and robbery, according to the Kennebec Journal. The latter charges stem from a March 10, 2014 incident.
If Taylor violates his probation conditions, he could return to prison for the remainder of the 14-year sentence.
Taylor has a lengthy criminal record, according to court documents and news reports.
Taylor’s case attracted widespread media attention when the Kennebec County Jail mistakenly released him after Thursday’s court appearance due to a clerical error, according to numerous reports. Taylor turned himself in Thursday night.
