Last week a Knox County Superior Court judge rejected two plea deals for suspects in a Warren home invasion and assault earlier this year. A third individual involved in the assaults was sentenced to eight years in prison.
On Nov. 21, Justice Jeffrey Hjelm heard plea deals for three individuals accused of bursting into a home on Bowden Road in Warren, just over the Waldoboro town line in August.
Victims told police the three were wearing ski masks when they “charged into” the home and began “assaulting everybody there and looking for money and drugs,” said Knox County Sheriff’s Det. Reginald Walker at the time of their arrest. “It appears their goal was to rip them off – get in an out quickly,” Walker said. “Because they didn’t have cooperation, they started assaulting people.”
Five victims were hospitalized. All have since been released, authorities said. The most seriously injured was a woman who suffered a fractured skull after she was reportedly struck multiple times with a hammer, at least once with the claw end.
On evidence found at the scene and information provided by the public in the days following the attack, KCSO deputies and detectives arrested Jessica Gagnon, 29, of Thomaston, and siblings Leroy Parker, 21, of Union, and Bridget Parker, 26, Tenants Harbor. The Parkers are formerly of Waldoboro.
However, the district attorney prosecuting the accused assailants said convicting them at trial would be difficult because the victims are not cooperating with authorities.
On Nov. 21, Hjelm accepted Leroy Parker’s plea of no contest to charges of elevated aggravated assault, robbery and burglary and sentenced him to eight years in prison.
Hjelm was reportedly reluctant to accept the deal, which he felt was lenient given Parker’s extensive prior criminal history and the seriousness of the crimes. Parker will also have to pay at least $4931, but not more than $20,000, in restitution.
Parker has three prior convictions for assault.
Hjelm rejected plea deals for the other two individuals because he said they were too lenient for the “brutal and terrifying” crimes.
Bridget Parker, who reportedly admitted to police that she hit a victim five times with a hammer, agreed to plead no contest to elevated aggravated assault, robbery and burglary if the sentence was 10 years in prison with all but four years suspended.
Although Bridget Parker has a less serious history of violence than the other two suspects, Hjelm said her actions warranted at least six years served in prison and rejected the plea deal. Parker withdrew her plea and returned to jail to await trial.
Gagnon was convicted in 2010 of felony kidnapping, tampering with a witness, assault, terrorizing and violating conditions of release. She was released earlier this year after serving 16 months of a seven-year sentence.
At the time of her arrest, police said Gagnon told them she did not expect violence, but only wanted to rob the victims of drugs and money.
Gagnon agreed to a 12-year sentence with all but five years and eight months suspended. Hjelm rejected the deal, saying her actions warranted eight years served in prison. Gagnon also returned to jail to await trial.
If no new agreement is reached, the two women’s cases are expected to go before a grand jury in January.
