FARMINGTON — A former police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexually molesting a Franklin County girl over several years.
Steven Goozey, 39, of Westbrook pleaded guilty in Franklin County Superior Court to 10 counts of unlawful sexual contact with a child under the age of 12. He had entered pleas of not guilty after he was indicted May 12 on a higher classification of the charges.
He would have faced up to 30 years on each offense, if convicted, rather than up to 10 years on each of the state’s amended charges that he pleaded guilty to Wednesday, Justice Michaela Murphy said during the hearing.
The offenses occurred between June 13, 2006, and May 30, 2010, according to the court.
Goozey had worked as an officer for the Carrabassett Valley Police Department for three months in the fall of 2010 before being let go on unrelated circumstances, Chief Scott Nichols has said.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Detective David St. Laurent arrested Goozey on March 24 on one count of unlawful sexual contact.
If the case had gone to trial, the victim would have testified that the sexual touching happened more than 20 times, Assistant District Attorney James Andrews said.She would say that Goozey told her he would go to jail if she told anyone about the incidents. And she would have testified that she told her mother in March 2011 because she didn’t want it to happen to her younger sister.
Detective St. Laurent would have testified that Goozey admitted to St. Laurent that he had sexually touched her about 10 times.
When Justice Murphy asked if Goozey disagreed with the state’s evidence, his attorney, Woody Hanstein, said there may be some disagreement over the extent of time.
Goozey had never been convicted of a felony, he told the court when questioned.
A sentencing hearing was set for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, but it could change depending on scheduling, Murphy said.
The proposed sentencing plan is for up to 10 years on each of the first nine counts, to be served concurrently, and 10 years, all suspended, on the 10th count. He would serve six years of probation when the sentences on the first nine counts ended, Andrews said.
Goozey would have to register as a sex offender.
State and defense attorneys will make sentencing recommendations to the court during the hearing Nov. 2.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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- Steven Goozey
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