SKOWHEGAN — Kristina A. Pomerleau, the woman thought to be the girlfriend of John D. Williams, the suspect in the killing of Cpl. Eugene Cole, pleaded not guilty to criminal charges Wednesday in Skowhegan District Court.
Pomerleau, 32, of Skowhegan, is charged with unlawful possession of cocaine base, or crack, and with unlawful furnishing of cocaine, both on April 21 in Norridgewock. Both charges are class C felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison if she is convicted.
Pomerleau has a previous conviction for possession of scheduled drugs in December 2008, according to court documents.
She also is charged with operating a motor vehicle after license suspension on the same day, a misdemeanor crime. Pomerleau has a previous conviction for operating after suspension in December 2009.
She was indicted on the charges by a Somerset County grand jury last month.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt, but it is an indication that enough evidence is present in a case to proceed to trial.
Pomerleau’s bail remains unchanged — $5,000 cash. She still is being held at the Somerset County Jail in East Madison.
She was represented in court Wednesday by Skowhegan attorney Philip Mohlar.
Pomerleau is scheduled to appear in court again June 27 in Skowhegan.
The indictment against Pomerleau was handed up April 26 in Skowhegan, one day after Williams, 29, of Madison, is alleged to have shot and killed Cole, of the Somerset County Sheriff’s office, and stolen his marked cruiser.
Williams made his initial court appearance last week at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta. He was ordered held without bail, pending a Harnish hearing to determine whether he is eligible for bail. Authorities have confirmed that Pomerleau was in a relationship with Williams.
A psychological examination also has been ordered for Williams, who did not enter a plea before Justice Robert Mullen on a charge of knowing or intentional murder. Williams is being held at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, and any further court appearances will be conducted in a Cumberland County court. Proceedings were moved because of massive pre-trial publicity about the shooting.
Williams was arrested in March in Massachusetts on firearm and driving-related charges during a traffic stop, and he had been scheduled to appear April 25 — the day Cole was shot and killed — in a Massachusetts courtroom for a probable cause hearing, according to the Essex District Attorney’s Office. Pomerleau was a passenger in the vehicle during that traffic stop and was issued a summons for possession of the narcotic Percocet.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
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