AUGUSTA — A city woman pleaded guilty to drug trafficking Thursday in a case in which the prosecutor said she allowed her home to be used as a base for out-of-state drug dealers.

Clover Sue Baxter, 29, of Augusta, was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to two charges of unlawful trafficking in heroin April 19-20, 2016, in Augusta.

In exchange for her pleas, three other unlawful trafficking charges and a criminal conspiracy charge, all dated March 19-April 26, 2016, in Augusta, were dismissed.

The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Kate Marshall, said drug dealers from New York sold drugs from Baxter’s apartment.

Baxter was arrested April 26, 2016, when police executed a search warrant at Baxter’s Middle Street home.

Arrested the same day at Baxter’s residence was Charles Evans, now 26, of Rochester, New York.

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An affidavit by Augusta police Officer Matthew Estes says Evans was in the bedroom of Clover Sue Baxter’s apartment, and Baxter told police she allowed men from New York to use her apartment to sell drugs and she got heroin for doing so.

During the raid, police reported finding three bags of heroin packaged for individual resale as well as a ledger, packaging materials and drug paraphernalia. The affidavit says police conducted a controlled buy, using a confidential informant to obtain crack cocaine and heroin from Evans via Baxter and her boyfriend, Leo C. Dyer IV, now 32, of Augusta. Dyer also pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and is awaiting sentencing.

Evans pleaded guilty previously and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Also on Thursday, Baxter admitted to criminal forfeiture of $3,617 cash seized from her apartment when the search warrant was executed.

She also pleaded guilty to two charges of violating conditions of release from July 2, 2016, and Oct. 28, 2016, when she was under house arrest. She was sentenced to 60 days on each of those, to be served concurrently with the 30-month sentence.

Baxter was fined $400 on the drug conviction.

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She also admitted violating conditions of supervised release for a 2016 assault conviction and was ordered to serve the 180 days that had been suspended.

Baxter was represented at Thursday’s hearing by attorney Lisa Whittier.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams


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