FARMINGTON — A Franklin County justice found a Livermore Falls woman guilty Monday of being the getaway driver and helping plan the robbery of a 75-year-old Jay man on June 28, 2015.

Amanda Cote, 39, pleaded guilty to felony robbery, burglary and hindering apprehension or prosecution under the Alford doctrine, her attorney Peter Kaynor said. It means she does not necessarily agree with the state’s evidence but understands that if the state presents the evidence to a jury, she could be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, according to Justice William Stokes. 

Cote’s case was scheduled to go to trial on Monday, June 27, in Franklin County Superior Court. Instead, she will be sentenced at 1 p.m. Monday, June 27, if victim Wallace Williams is available to come to the court.

He did not want to speak at the sentencings of the other two co-defendants, Eric Hafford, 35, 0f Livermore Falls and Daniel Leet, 34, of Lewiston, but asked to say a few words to the court on this case, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Robbins said.

The state dismissed three felony counts of violation of conditions of release in the plea agreement, stemming from when Cote allegedly continued to contact Hafford while he was in jail and she was out on bail.

Hafford and Leet both pleaded guilty earlier this year to wearing masks and breaking into Williams’ home late on June 28, and waking him up and tying his hands behind his back with packing tape. They made Williams lie face down on the bed while they robbed him of part of his valuable coin collection, his cellphone and his wallet, which contained a debit card.

Wallace would have testified that he was able to slip out of the tape because his hands were sweating and peered out of the window to see a vehicle picking up the two men, Robbins said.

Williams would also testify that he has known Cote since she was a little girl and that she would have known about the coin collection because her mother and his late wife were friends.

Leet would have testified that he was involved in the robbery and that it was Cote who picked up him and Hafford at the Jay residence, and that it was her idea to burglarize Williams’ home, Robbins said.

Out of the three defendants, Cote was the one who knew Williams, Robbins said. She knew that his wife had passed away and he lived alone and was an easy mark, he said.

Leet and Hafford did not know the victim, he said.

“It was basically set up by Ms. Cote,” Robbins said.

The plea agreement calls for Cote to be sentenced on the robbery charge to eight years in prison with all but 33 months suspended followed by four years of probation. The sentences on the other two charges are recommended at 33 months each to run concurrent with the robbery sentence.

Cote is being held without bail until sentencing.

Leet was sentenced June 15 to serve 45 months of a 13-year prison sentence on the robbery charge. He will serve four years of probation upon release. 

Hafford is currently serving six years of a 15-year sentence for the robbery. He was sentenced in January.

All three will share in paying $5,000 in restitution on behalf of Williams.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net

Copy the Story Link