BATH — A former contractor in Midcoast and central Maine pleaded guilty to theft Wednesday for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from dozens of people for home construction and repairs but not doing the work.
Malcolm Stewart entered an Alford plea, in which he pleaded guilty but maintained his innocence while acknowledging that he could be found guilty if a trial were held. He changed his plea during a Zoom hearing in the Sagadahoc County Superior Court in Bath. He is likely to be sentenced in the state court in Knox County in Rockland in October. The sentencing hearing could last two days.
The plea comes after the Maine Attorney General’s Office offered a sentence agreement that would require less prison time than originally sought for the former contractor, who now lives in South Carolina.
A jury had been selected last week, and a three-week trial had been scheduled …