FARMINGTON — A Franklin County justice sentenced a New Sharon man to 18 months in the Department of Corrections, all suspended, and two years probation in connection to a Chesterville man being dragged from his camper and hogtied with zip ties.

Michael Morse, 39, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of felony aggravated criminal trespass and misdemeanor criminal restraint in the Nov. 24, 2010, incident.

Morse is one of three people initially accused of kidnapping William Norton, 56, of Chesterville. A grand jury indicted him and co-defendants in January on lesser charges of felony aggravated criminal trespass and misdemeanor charges of assault and criminal restraint. Morse was also indicted on an additional charge of one count of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon.

Morse entered into a plea agreement with the state on Tuesday that dismissed the assault and criminal-threatening charges.

Morse, Cherith Andresen, also known as Bonnie Sargent, 32, of Ellsworth, and Clarence White, 49, of Phillips, were accused of going to Norton’s trailer at about 4 a.m. the day before Thanksgiving, entering the trailer and pulling the sleeping man out to land on his stomach in the dirt. According to a police affidavit, both Andresen and Morse admitted to going to Norton’s trailer to “teach him a lesson” so that he would stop harassing them.

Morse’s co-defendants previously pleaded not guilty to the charges. A jury is scheduled to be selected Friday for their trial.

If the case went to hearing, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Robinson said testimony would be given that the victim was held down after he was pulled from his trailer and that Morse threatened Norton with a knife and threatened to kill him.

Morse has denied that he held a knife to Norton’s throat and threatened him, Robinson said.

Morse has been out of jail on a state pretrial agreement since his arrest, Robinson said.

He received a “glowing report” and has upheld the agreement and that addressed some of the issues involved, he said.

Justice Murphy also ordered Morse to continue substance-abuse counseling, to not possess or use alcohol and illegal drugs, and submit to random search and testing for those substances. He is also ordered to have no contact with Norton.

The agreement also called for the criminal restraint charge to be unconditionally discharged, which Murphy ordered.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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