FARMINGTON – A 25-year-old man will spend the next six years in prison after committing a string of serious crimes over the last several years.
Craig Tracy of Mexico, Maine, pleaded guilty to the felonies of furnishing illegal drugs, tampering with a victim in a case against him, theft, and violating his probation by committing new crimes. This comes on the heels of assault, burglary, theft, furnishing alcohol to minors and felony escape from jail convictions, along with a record of violating probation since 2001.
“What has caught up with Craig is his criminal record,” defense attorney Margot Joly told Judge Valerie Stanfill in Franklin County Superior Court Monday.
Tracy’s latest crimes occurred on Aug. 7, 2008, when Tracy tried on a pair of $60 sneakers at the Olympia Sports store in Farmington and walked out wearing them. Officer Kyle Ellis of the Farmington Police Department was able to get a description of Tracy, and the identification of the girl friend he was with, along with the pick-up they drove away in from the store’s clerks. In a photo line-up of suspects, the clerks were able to independently identify Tracy, according to police records.
Police found Tracy at the St. Francis House in Auburn, where he was attending a rehab program for substance abuse.
“Tracy admitted to being Olympia Sports and offered to pay for the sneakers to make it go away,” said Assistant District Attorney Andrew Robinson.
The theft of the sneakers was elevated to a felony Class C crime due to Tracy’s priors and another charge of violating his probation by committing a new crime while on probation.
Tracy pleaded guilty to furnishing the drugs vicodin and ecstasy to two juveniles at a party in Wilton on Nov. 10, 2007. He also admitted to witness tampering, a Class B crime, on Nov. 27, 2007, after he sent his mother and a friend to offer a furnishing victim’s father $500 if charges would be dropped.
Arguing for a six-year prison sentence, Robinson said of Tracy, “He now sits before you with new criminal activity while on probation. He’s a bad candidate for probation.”
“He had a difficult childhood growing up,” attorney Joly said. “He strikes me as an extremely intelligent person who wants to get control over his drug problem. He has never said to me, shift the blame.”
“The purpose today is for Craig to serve his time and to move on with his life,” Joly added.
Judge Stanfill noted the numerous crimes that Tracy has committed “in a relatively short period of time.”
“These are crimes of violence, burglaries and thefts and he has a clear substance abuse problem. All these offenses were committed while he was on probation. Putting him on probation would not be useful in this case,” Stanfill said. She then ordered him to serve six years in prison and court was adjourned.
Outside the courtroom door, Tracy’s mother hugged the wall and quietly sobbed for a few minutes.
