AUGUSTA — A Gardiner man was sentenced Wednesday to five months in jail on sex trafficking charges a year after police raided a Sidney escort service.
Frederick Horne Sr., 47, formerly of Sidney, pleaded no contest to sex trafficking and drug charges in Kennebec County Superior Court. Justice Robert Mullen continued the drug cases, placing Horne on an 18-month deferred disposition. If Horne complies with a number of conditions, including prohibition on possession of illegal drugs, he can withdraw his plea and those charges will be dismissed.
Mullen accepted the no contest pleas after telling Horne, “It means you’re not admitting to the charge but not denying it. You’re saying you want to resolve the charge without a trial and acknowledging you will be found guilty.” Horne said he understood.
He was ordered to report to jail Wednesday to begin the five-month sentence.
Horne’s residence in Sidney was raided by Maine State Police last April 10 in a search for evidence of prostitution and illegal drugs.
The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Frayla Schoenfeld, said they located ledgers relating to prostitution and that Horne admitted to a detective he allowed prostitution to take place there and that he aided the women by advertising for customers.
Police said it was the site of Adam & Eve Escort Service. The sex trafficking charges, which say Horne “did knowingly promote prostitution,” span Feb. 10-April 10, 2014, in Sidney. A third count of sex trafficking during the same period was dismissed.
Schoenfeld said police found five 10-mg Percocets, a narcotic pain reliever, on Horne and also located six prepackaged bags of marijuana with customers’ names on them.
When the judge asked Horne whether he disagreed with what Schoenfeld said, Horne told him, “Everything she said was correct except there were no names on bags of marijuana. It was the type of marijuana that it was.”
Horne limped and carried a cane when he approached the microphone to stand next to his attorney, Scott Hess. At one point, the judge halted the proceeding in the Capital Judicial Center after Hess requested a few minutes to discuss something with Horne.
Other conditions of the deferred disposition call for Horne to undergo substance abuse evaluation and counseling if indicated and pay $120 restitution by March 1, 2016. If Horne fails to comply, then he could be sentenced up to the five-year maximum under the drug possession charge.
Horne received a concurrent 30-day sentence for violating conditions of release July 27 in Winslow for having contact with Theresa Rice-Goodrich in violation of his bail conditions. Horne was placed in handcuffs at her wedding ceremony in Winslow. A second count of violating conditions of release, charging him with having contact with Laura Penney that same day, was dismissed.
Attorneys told the judge that Horne had no prior felony convictions and no convictions for crimes of violence.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.