AUGUSTA — A local woman who pleaded guilty Monday to various crimes committed at least some of them to pay her fines for previous criminal convictions, her attorney said.
Elizabeth Munster
Elizabeth A. Munster, 37, of Augusta was sentenced to an initial 10 months in prison, with the remainder of her five-year sentence suspended while she spends two years on probation. The sentence was imposed during a hearing at the Capital Judicial Center.
“Quite frankly a lot of the criminal activity when she gets out is to pay her fines,” said Munster’s attorney, Scott Gurney.
Gurney asked District Court Judge Eric Walker to suspend both of Munster’s new fines, saying Munster already owes $5,000 in fines.
Walker agreed to make the two new fines concurrent, meaning Munster will be fined a total of $1,000.
The sentence wraps in a number of offenses, including operating after suspension, unlawful possession of heroin, refusing to submit to arrest and violating conditions of release, all of which occurred on Oct. 20, 2017, in Augusta. She also pleaded guilty to charges of refusing to submit to arrest and violating conditions of release that occurred Sept. 16, 2016 in Hallowell.
The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Frayla Tarpinian, told the judge that an Augusta police officer saw Munster in the passenger seat of an idling car on Oct. 20 and got Munster’s OK to search for illegal drugs. Munster was on bail conditions that made her subject to search.
Tarpinian said the officer found needles, other paraphernalia and powdered residue believed to be heroin.
The prosecutor said Munster then got into the driver’s seat of the car and put it into gear, apparently trying to get away. However, the officer managed to put it back in park.
Tarpinian said Munster refused to submit to arrest by kicking the officer and was “flailing and punched him in the face.”
The sentence included fines of $1,000 for the operating after revocation conviction and $400 for the drug possession conviction. Munster currently is under an order to pay $25 a month each to courts in Augusta and Belfast.
Betty Adams can be contacted at 621-5631 or at:
badams@centralmaine.com
Twitter: betadams
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