A Nobleboro man pleaded guilty to attempted gross sexual assault and two other felonies during a hearing in Lincoln County Superior Court in Wiscasset Monday, Sept. 14.
During his appearance, James W. Oliver, 48, pleaded guilty to class B attempted gross sexual assault, class C unlawful sexual touching, and class C failure to register as a sex offender.
The defendant was initially charged with two counts of class D unlawful sexual touching. One of the charges was amended to a class C offense due to the defendant’s prior convictions, while the other charge was dismissed.
Oliver received a sentence of nine years with all but three suspended for the attempted gross sexual assault conviction, in addition to three years of probation following the completion of the unsuspended portion of the sentence.
According to District Attorney Geoffrey Rushlau, the probation term was the maximum allowed for the charge. Rushlau represented the state during the hearing.
The terms of Oliver’s probation prohibit contact with the victim, the father of the victim, or any child under 16, except for family members with two other adults present; and also include substance abuse conditions.
Oliver received sentences of two years and six months for the charges of unlawful sexual touching and failure to register as a sex offender, respectively. The sentences will run concurrently with the longer sentence for attempted gross sexual assault.
Jeremy Pratt, an attorney out of Camden, represented Oliver at the hearing.
According to Pratt, though attempted crimes can be difficult for the state to prove, his client’s history led to the decision of entering a guilty plea to the Class B charge in lieu of standing trial.
“Attempted is always difficult to prove,” Pratt said.
Oliver was arrested on the evening of March 28 by Lincoln County sheriff’s deputies.
The deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance on East Neck Road in Nobleboro prior to his arrest.
Oliver, a lifetime registrant on the Maine Sex Offender Registry due to previous convictions of rape, sexual abuse of a minor, and failure to comply with the sex offender registration act, had been run over by a car driven by his girlfriend, Linda Currier, 53, of Hampden, after Currier allegedly interrupted Oliver’s attempt to sexually assault a young girl.
Charges against Currier, who was initially charged with operating under the influence and aggravated assault, were dismissed by the state in May.
District Court Judge Barbara Raimondi presided over Monday’s hearing.