PARIS — A Rumford man accused of transporting crack cocaine from Portland to the Rumford area pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in Oxford County Superior Court on Friday. 

Martin Lore, 28, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit trafficking in scheduled drugs and his sentence was deferred for a year. If he meets certain conditions in that time, he will be allowed to retract his plea and plead guilty to a misdemeanor drug possession charge. 

In August, an Oxford County grand jury indicted Lore on the conspiracy charge and unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs.

Lore and co-defendants Edward E. Towers, 48, of Rumford, and Jolene K. Norris, 38, of Peru, were arrested in April after Rumford police stopped the truck they were riding in, searched it and found 13 grams of crack cocaine, according to an affidavit from Maine Drug Enforcement Officer Tony Milligan. 

Police had received a tip the three were traveling back to Rumford from Portland with drugs meant for distribution.

On Friday, Assistant Attorney General David Fisher told the court only one gram of crack was found on Lore, who admitted to traveling to Portland with $100 to purchase it. Fischer noted that Lore had a very minimal criminal history prior to his arrest in April.

Following the plea and sentencing, Fischer said the state did not have a strong case for unlawful trafficking against Lore but he agreed to testify in possible future cases as part of his plea agreement.

On Wednesday, Towers pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and his sentence was deferred for two years. He was ordered to pay a $400 fine.

Norris pleaded not guilty to unlawful trafficking and conspiracy charges at her arraignment this week. 

pmcguire@sunjournal.com

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