Lincoln County Superior Court Justice Jeffrey Hjelm sentenced Andrew Longe, 20, of Walpole, to nine months at Two Bridges Regional Jail for his role in a month-long burglary spree.
Following his release, Longe will be on probation for three years and must complete 600 hours of community service during that time.
Longe and Nikolas Poland, 20, of Round Pond, pleaded guilty Oct. 27 to 21 felony burglaries, mostly of seasonal cottages in Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta and Nobleboro, from March 1-April 4, 2011.
The co-defendants dismantled and stole copper pipes, high-end electronics, outboard motors and other valuable items.
An emotional Longe read a letter during the Jan. 27 sentencing hearing, apologizing to the victims and to his parents for his actions. “I am very ashamed of what I have done,” he said.
The prosecutor for the state, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Wright, asked Hjelm to sentence Longe to eight years with all but two suspended, followed by three years of probation.
Wright did acknowledge Longe’s cooperation with law enforcement, his efforts to compensate the victims and his lack of prior criminal history.
Longe and Poland “immediately took responsibility for the crimes once confronted” and rode around Lincoln County with investigators to identify every target, Wright said.
The state has ordered Longe and Poland to pay $6514 in restitution and Longe brought his half – $3257 – to court.
Wright suggested that the actual cost of repairs was likely higher, but “a significant number of victims were unable or unwilling to provide restitution amounts,” he said.
Wright argued that aggravating factors in the case, including the high number of burglaries and the effect of the copper thefts on the habitability of the cottages, cancelled out the mitigating factors, including Longe’s cooperation and efforts at restitution.
Longe’s defense attorney, Phil Cohen, described his client as a model young citizen who made a series of mistakes and deserves another chance. Cohen said letters to the court “from almost every part of the community” testify to Longe’s reputation as an industrious, polite, respectful and trustworthy role model and volunteer.
“Almost every corner of the community supports Andy,” Cohen said. “That had to be earned somehow.”
“Everybody here knows he’s going to jail,” Cohen said. Cohen, however, asked for a shorter sentence coupled with community service in order to protect “a 20-year-old who doesn’t know what Windham is like” from the potentially damaging effects of the Maine Correctional Center.
“Some people have potential despite what they’ve done,” Cohen said. “Even though we need to punish them, we need to do it in a way that protects that potential.”
Longe’s father, James Longe, called his son’s crimes “a source of embarrassment and disappointment for the family” but also spoke of his son’s efforts to repair the damage and asked the judge for lenience.
“We love and believe in Andrew and ask that you give him a chance to become a productive part of society,” he said.
A large contingent of supporters attended the hearing, filling the long spectators’ benches at the rear of the courtroom and chairs nearby.
Hjelm sentenced Longe to five years with all but nine months suspended, along with the community service and probation. He must also pay a jail boarding fee of $4 per day. His conditions of probation include no contact with Poland.
“You have demonstrated that you can be a person of high character,” Hjelm told Longe, but “there’s another side of your personality and you are perfectly capable of making bad decisions.”
Hjelm exhorted Longe to use his time in jail to consider “who Andrew Longe is.”
Longe agreed to report to jail shortly after the hearing.
Cohen said his client intends to resume his college education after completing his sentence.
Poland’s sentencing hearing, originally scheduled to take place at the same time, has been rescheduled for Wed., Feb. 8 at 8:30 a.m.
