A 69-year-old Newcastle man has been sentenced to nine months in jail and six years of probation for sexually abusing a 3-year-old girl in 2013.
Gary L. Collamore could return to prison for up to four years and three months – the suspended portion of his sentence – if he violates probation. Superior Court Justice Daniel Billings sentenced Collamore Monday, Nov. 9.
Collamore had pleaded guilty to class B unlawful sexual contact and class C criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon at the Lincoln County Courthouse Sept. 14, according to court documents.
As part of his plea agreement, two additional charges of class B unlawful sexual contact were dismissed. The sentence was also part of the agreement.
The unlawful sexual contact charge stems from Collamore’s abuse of a 3-year-old girl in spring 2013, according to his indictment.
In February 2014, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services reported the abuse to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, according to a July 21 press release from the sheriff’s office.
“After the investigation, charges were not brought forward due to a lack of evidence at the time,” Lt. Michael Murphy said in the press release.
In January of this year, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Chubbuck arrested Collamore for brandishing a large knife and threatening to kill Chubbuck in Collamore’s Newcastle Center apartment, according to court documents.
In the cruiser while en route to a hospital for evaluation, Collamore, without prompting, confessed to abusing the girl, according to Chubbuck’s report. He also told a doctor he was a “child molester.”
Collamore’s statements “reopened the earlier investigation,” according to the press release. Collamore was arrested on three counts of class B unlawful sexual contact July 14.
Collamore will serve a concurrent six-month sentence for the threatening conviction, as well as a consecutive three-month sentence for a conviction of class C violation of condition of release, bringing his total initial sentence to a full year.
Collamore pleaded guilty to the violation of condition of release charge before the sentence hearing Nov. 9. The charge stems from recent phone calls and text messages to the mother of the victim in violation of Collamore’s bail conditions.
Collamore’s probation conditions prohibit contact with the victim and her mother, as well as any child under 16. He must also undergo sex offender counseling to the satisfaction of his probation officer.
District Attorney Geoff Rushlau represented the state. Bath attorney David Paris represented Collamore.
Collamore has “shown about as much acceptance of responsibility as one could hope for under the circumstances,” Rushlau said in his explanation of the agreement.
After his admissions to Chubbuck, Collamore “gave a pretty full confession” to investigators, Rushlau said.
After this confession and despite the challenges of prosecuting a case with such a young victim, Collamore did not show any interest in defending himself.
“In fact, he agreed through counsel to waive indictment so (the victim) would not be confronted with the need to testify before grand jury,” Rushlau said.
Collamore has a 45-year-old conviction for carrying a concealed weapon and no other apparent criminal history, according to Rushlau.
Justice Billings accepted the negotiated sentence.
“Frankly, this is a case that probably never would have been prosecuted but for Mr. Collamore’s own actions,” Billings said. “His level of acceptance of responsibility is unusual, and again, I think the D.A.’s analysis of the appropriate sentencing here is correct, and this is a reasonable resolution of a very unfortunate and tragic circumstance.”
