Trio sentenced in Linneus home buglary

  CARIBOU, Maine — Three individuals charged with burglarizing a Linneus home last year while family members were attending a funeral were sentenced in Aroostook County Superior Court Aug. 31.
Amanda Berry, Philip Buzzeo and Cheryl Sawyer appeared in the Aroostook County Superior Court in Caribou to enter pleas for their part in the burglary of the Linneus residence of Barbara McGuire. That burglary occurred on Oct. 3, 2011, while McGuire and her family were attending the funeral of her husband, local businessman Darrell McGuire.
    The fourth co-defendant in the crime, Halston Wiley, II, died while the case was pending resulting in a dismissal of the case against him. Superior Court Justice Kevin Cuddy presided over the proceedings.
According to Assistant District Attorney Kurt Kafferlin, the state outlined the investigation and evidence in the case during the hearing. Several different law enforcement agencies contributed to the investigation including the Maine State Police, the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bangor Police Department. The lead investigator in the case was Trooper Dennis Quint of the Maine State Police. Trooper Quint effectively organized the investigation that extended all of the way to Bangor where much of the stolen property was sold by Buzzeo and Sawyer.
The investigation revealed that Berry and Wiley acted as the principal burglars who entered the McGuire residence on Oct. 3, 2011 while Buzzeo and Sawyer served as lookouts. The stolen property was subsequently divided between the four at which time they traveled to Bangor to sell much of the stolen property.
Berry entered a plea to burglary, while Buzzeo and Sawyer each entered pleas to felony theft. The sentencing was left open to Justice Cuddy to impose any sentence within the range of legal sentences allowed for the crimes to which the defendants entered pleas, Kafferlin said.
“In Berry’s case this involved a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison,” he said. “In the cases of Buzzeo and Sawyer this involved a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison. Many members of the McGuire family were in attendance and one member of the family addressed the court on behalf of the entire family.”
Each defendant appeared with his or her attorney. Jeff Pickering of Houlton represented Berry; Matthew Hunter of Presque Isle represented Buzzeo; and Michele Kenney of Houlton represented Sawyer. Following the state’s presentation, each attorney addressed the court separately and each defendant individually directed his or her apologies to the McGuire family.
The court sentenced Berry to seven years in prison, with all but three years suspended, followed by three years of probation. The court sentenced Buzzeo and Sawyer each to three years in prison with all but one year suspended, followed by two years of probation.  All three defendants were immediately remanded to custody to be delivered to the Maine Department of Corrections.
“While the sentences cannot undo the impact on the McGuire family or really reflect the calloused nature of this particular crime, the state is pleased that all three received sentences long enough to require them to serve their time with the Maine Department of Corrections rather than in the county jail,” Kafferlin said. “While none of these defendants had a prior felony conviction, Berry’s sentence reflects a significant history of misdemeanor thefts and her part as a principal in the burglary. Berry will also be required to serve an additional four months in prison on some unrelated charges.
“This case shows the high level of cooperation that exists among the law enforcement agencies working here in Aroostook County,” he continued. “It also is the product of much hard work on the part of Trooper Quint and other members of the Maine State Police who ensured that the people responsible were identified and brought to justice.”