An Episcopal priest accused of mailing prescription drugs to inmates at a Wiscasset jail made his first court appearance in that town Thursday morning and did not enter a plea.

The Rev. Stephen Foote, 70, of Bremen, who has been placed on leave as a transition priest at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Augusta, faces one felony charge of trafficking in prison contraband at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.

He was not required to enter a plea in the pre-indictment hearing at Lincoln County Superior Court Thursday morning.

Bail conditions were slightly modified, including the striking of a condition that prohibited use and possession of alcohol.

William Avantaggio, Foote’s attorney, said Superior Court Justice Jeffrey Hjelm also signed an order allowing the attorney access to otherwise confidential Department of Corrections records related to the case.

If a grand jury were to indict him in January, Foote’s next scheduled court date is an arraignment on Jan. 31, according to Avantaggio.

James Pease, supervisor of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency office covering Waldo, Knox, Lincoln and Sagadahoc counties, has said Foote mailed suboxone strips to Joshua Theriault-Patten, 25, of Bremen, an inmate he had a friendship with. Suboxone is typically used to treat opiate addiction but can be abused.

Theriault-Patten and another inmate, Adam Shawley, 27, of Newport, are charged with one count each of Class D attempted trafficking in prison contraband. The two have histories of drug-related offenses, according to published reports.

The charges are related to one incident, but authorities have said they suspect the inmates were receiving drugs before that. Pease has said they were abusing the drugs and could have been selling them. A press release announcing the arrest said the jail, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the MDEA investigated the three men for a month prior to the charges.

Pease has said that by the time the grand jury convenes, there will be more charges in the case. He didn’t say whether those charges will be against Foote, the inmates or those who provided Foote with the drugs.

Foote was arrested Nov. 1 and released on bail.

The Episcopal Diocese of Maine said Foote retired as dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Portland in 2003.

 

Kennebec Journal Staff Writer Michael Shepherd can be contacted at 621-5632 or at:

mshepherd@mainetoday.com