The Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office has dismissed charges against one of three defendants in the March 2014 theft of $20,000 in cash and a shotgun from a Whitefield home.
A Lincoln County grand jury indicted Jeffrey H. Lucas Jr., 39, of Augusta, on one count of class B burglary, two counts of class B theft by unauthorized taking, and one count of class E operating after suspension Sept. 10, 2014.
The state dismissed those charges Jan. 29, according to court documents. The dismissal form lists “insufficient evidence” and “other” as the reasons for the dismissal.
Assistant District Attorney Andrew Wright said he expects co-defendant Jeremy J. Geroux, 36, of Newcastle, to take full responsibility for the burglary and theft as part of a plea deal. Wright expects Geroux to enter the plea in late February.
“We have a much stronger case against (Geroux) and it’s definitely an ancillary case against Mr. Lucas,” Wright said Wednesday, Feb. 4. “There are much more significant proof issues in Mr. Lucas’ case.”
Wright said he also expects to dismiss charges against a third co-defendant, Janice E. Bachelder, 37, of Edgecomb.
Bachelder was indicted on charges of class B receiving stolen property, class D hindering apprehension or prosecution, and class D refusing to submit to arrest.
“We definitely have probable cause to show that all three of them were involved in the burglary and theft,” Wright said, but “the amount of proof we had against each individual was dramatically different, and it kind of cascaded down from Jeremy Geroux to Janice Bachelder to Mr. Lucas.”
A Lincoln County grand jury indicted Geroux in September 2014 on charges of class B burglary, two counts of class B theft by unauthorized taking, class C possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, class D criminal mischief, and class E violation of condition of release.
Geroux also faces charges of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident and operating after suspension in connection to a crash in Bristol in August 2013, as well as a charge of animal cruelty.
The burglary case drew additional attention at the time of Geroux’s arrest after investigators allegedly found cellphone photos of Geroux “having sexual contact with a dog,” according to a July 3, 2014 press release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
It was not clear whether Geroux would plead to the animal cruelty charge or the charges related to the car accident.
