AUBURN – A former Livermore Falls clerk pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a felony charge of theft by unauthorized taking.
Faith Nichols, 36, of Livermore Falls appeared briefly in Androscoggin County Superior Court with her Auburn lawyer, Alan Stone.
Nichols waived her right to a grand jury hearing to establish probable cause. She is accused of stealing $102,000 from the town during an 18-month period while she served as sewer clerk.
She has since paid back $25,000 and is arranging to repay the remainder, Stone said after Nichols’ arraignment.
There is continuing discussion about how the case should be disposed of, he said, but no agreement has been made on whether to drop the charge.
Nichols was photographed and fingerprinted at Androscoggin County Jail and released on her own recognizance.
The town will do everything it can to recover the missing money, Livermore Falls Town Manger Martin Puckett said Tuesday. “The selectboard vowed to recoup the missing money,” he said.
Some Livermore residents were less subtle in their reaction to Nichols’ not-guilty plea.
“She’s guilty. She admitted to it, so she must be guilty, but I come from a background of cops so I know her lawyer, of course, would say plead not guilty,” said resident Elaine Smith when told Nichols had pleaded not guilty.
“I hope they charge her, and charge her good,” she added. “Truthfully, I’m glad to see she’s finally gone to court. I have no sympathy for her. She stole. She stole from the town, and she needs to pay for the time and pay for what she did.”
Denise Rodzen, another resident, said she understood how the legal system works but believed Nichols was now costing taxpayers even more by dragging out the process.
“She could be saving the taxpayers in our county and in the state a lot of money,” Rodzen said. “It’s been a long haul for all of us, and I think she would be doing us all a favor by admitting to it and getting it over with.”
Rodzen believes Nichols had already admitted the crime by starting to pay the money back.
“Why would you repay something if you haven’t done it?” she asked.
Rodzen said she felt sorry for Nichols’ family.
“There’s no doubt about it. They are innocent victims,” Rodzen said. “But then, so is this town. Our faith was put in her.”
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