ROCKLAND, Maine — A 26-year-old woman who is facing more jail time for alleged probation violations was allowed to go free Wednesday because she is due to have a baby any day.
Samantha Carter of Spruce Head was in Knox County Unified Court on Wednesday on a motion by the state to revoke her probation. Carter was on probation after being convicted of a felony theft from Hannaford supermarket in Rockland. That charge had been elevated to felony level because of multiple prior theft convictions.
Her probation officer had recommended earlier this month that her probation be revoked because Carter failed to meet with him on a scheduled appointment, changed her address without informing him and failed to undergo a psychological assessment as ordered by the court.
On Wednesday, the district attorney’s office asked that Carter be held in jail until a probation revocation hearing could be held.
But defense attorney William Pagnano argued before Judge Patricia Worth that the violations were technical in nature and that his client was not a flight risk since she was 39 weeks pregnant.
Pagnano said that keeping Carter at the Knox County Jail would have financial implications for the county if she had the baby while incarcerated.
Worth told Carter she was on thin ice and that most judges would not be sympathetic to a person who repeatedly violates their probation.
“You need to be accountable if you are going to be a mother,” Worth said before agreeing to allow the woman to be released on personal recognizance.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 18.