A Boothbay man who is purported to have the longest criminal record in Lincoln County has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in a 2013 home invasion.

Michael Brewer, 59, of Boothbay reached a plea agreement Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the Lincoln County Court House in Wiscasset. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison with all but three years suspended and three years of probation.

Judge Daniel Billings said Brewer, who was already a convicted felon, received a fair deal.

“I think (Brewer's attorney Peter) Rodway has done a good job for you,” he said. “You're lucky to be counting your sentence in years, not decades.”

Brewer pleaded guilty to one count of Class B burglary, while the other charge of Class A robbery was dismissed. Had Brewer been convicted of a Class A crime, he would have faced up to 30 years in prison.

The trial was originally slated to run from Tuesday, Aug. 25, until Thursday, Aug. 27. Instead, the jury was never called into the court room, as the two sides were able to reach an agreement.

District Attorney Geoffrey Rushlau said the deal was attractive for the state because there were questions about some of the testimonies and with some of the evidence.

“The DNA analysis showed a match between Michael Brewer and a wool skiing hat, but the presence of DNA doesn't absolutely show that (Brewer) was there that night,” he said. “Our analyst said they found (Brewer's DNA) on the cap, but they couldn't tell how long it had been there.”

In March 2013, a trio of men broke into a Barters Island home. The couple who lived there were downstairs when they heard a crash, which brought one of the homeowners upstairs. He reported seeing a man wearing a mask who seemed surprised to have found anyone inside the house, according to Rushlau.

One of the victims claimed after the incident that when the invaders came inside, they reportedly hit him and knocked him to the ground.

During the home invasion, the man was forced to go upstairs into his bedroom and unlock a safe that contained jewelry and thousands of dollars in cash.

The trio left on foot, and police patrols stopped all traffic coming or going on Barters Island. Rushlau said at court on Tuesday that a boat was used to get off and on the island.

Brewer was arrested three weeks later by Lincoln County Sheriff’s detectives Terry Michaud and Ronald Rollins. Rollins and Michaud spoke with former employees of the victims and surmised that one of them, a former maid, had previously been dating Brewer, and had allegedly told him where the victims kept their valuables.

The DNA in the hat was then compared to Brewer's DNA from the database, and reportedly showed a match. Brewer was then arrested and charged with a pair of felonies.

Brewer will be on probation for three years following his conviction; he was ordered to have no contact with the victims. He is also prohibited from being legally drunk — any blood alcohol content level under .07 will be tolerated — and he will receive credit for time served.

Billings said Brewer's record and previous allegations will warrant him more scrutiny.

“Folks will be looking at you, you're known in the area,” he said. “I think you will probably see a bit more attention than the average probationer.”

Brewer was sent to the Maine Correctional Center in Windham and has his earliest release date scheduled for December, 2017.

Related:

Boothbay man arrested for Barters Island home invasion (April 2013)

Home invasion on Barters Island (March 2013)