BANGOR (AP) – A British woman who swam across the St. John River from Canada is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to a federal charge of re-entering the United States after being denied entry earlier in the year.

Katharine Mary Hiscox, 33, formerly of Surry, England, wept Tuesday as she waived indictment and entered her plea before U.S. District Judge John Woodcock, who ordered that she remain in the Penobscot County Jail pending a pre-sentence report.

Hiscox faces up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Her lawyer, Charles Hodsdon II of Bangor, asked that she be sentenced to time served, or 16 days.

Hiscox, also known as Kate Pagram, was refused entry in Atlanta in January because of visa problems and was barred from re-entering the United States.

In pleading guilty, she admitted that she swam across the St. John River on the night of Aug. 6 and was soaking wet when she knocked on the door of a home in Fort Kent sometime between 11 and 11:25 p.m., according to court documents.

The homeowner called police the next morning to report that he had driven the woman to the Blue Sky Hotel in Madawaska. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived at the hotel only to find that she had checked out 30 to 45 minutes earlier.

After an alert was issued, an agent spotted the woman in a southbound cab on U.S. 1 in Littleton and she was taken into custody at a convenience store in Houlton.

The week before her swim, Hiscox had been staying with an American woman friend at a hotel in Edmundston, New Brunswick, according to court documents.

No charges have been filed against the friend, who Hiscox said was unaware of her plan to enter the United States illegally.

Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

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