Sangerville man who stole women’s clothing returns to prison

DOVER-FOXCROFT – A Sangerville man who was convicted in 1999 for burglarizing homes in order to steal women’s clothing was sent back to prison Monday for violating conditions of his probation.

Gregg McInnis, 30, convicted of three counts of burglary and theft and one count of violation of conditions of release and trafficking in prison contraband (marijuana), had served a four-year prison term. He was ordered Monday to serve one year of a suspended sentence.

Suspended on March 9 from the Behavioral Health Centers Specialized Sexual Offenders group, McInnis also failed to tell his probation officer in advance he had begun a job delivering newspapers, both stipulations of his probation.

In 1998, McInnis broke into homes in Guilford and Sangerville and stole 139 pieces of women’s clothing, including undergarments, swimsuits, prom gowns, men’s magazines, photographs and other items. Some of the homes were on his newspaper route.

When Dan Dickson, the local probation and parole officer, learned in early March that McInnis was delivering newspapers again, he visited the Sangerville man’s home where he found a bag containing women’s used and new undergarments and pornography.

McInnis told the court Monday he bought some of the new undergarments through an online Victoria’s Secret catalog and obtained the rest from his garbage route. He had used them for his sexual needs. He said he did not tell Dickson in advance of his temporary newspaper delivery job because he believed he was only required to tell Dickson if he changed jobs. He still kept his garbage route, he said.

“This defendant is talking a good game. He was being deviant. He remains a danger to the community,” Piscataquis District Attorney R. Christopher Almy warned Monday.

Two specialists testified Monday that McInnis’ actions were of concern. “I don’t think he should have a job that puts him on the doorsteps of residences,” William Donahue of the Behavioral Health Centers Specialized Sexual Offenders program said.

Dr. Gary Rasmussen, a clinical psychologist and a consultant for the state who had evaluated McInnis, said the Sangerville man had ventured into voyeurism between the ages of 12 and 18 when he would look through windows and watch women undress. He later became familiar with their schedules in order to burglarize their homes, he said.

One of the Sangerville victims in the 1998 charges spoke Monday about how fearful she is of McInnis, whose property abuts hers.

“I’m afraid in my own home,” Michelle Lord said. “My whole lifestyle has changed because of what this man has done.” Although McInnis victimized other women, Lord said she was the only woman willing to testify to prevent this from happening to someone else.

McInnis’ court-appointed attorney, Christopher Smith, said prison would be of no benefit to his client and urged the court to return him to the sexual offender’s treatment program.

McInnis’ older brother, J.R. McInnis, who is home on leave from the military, also asked the court for leniency. “I have a lot of faith in Gregg,” he said. He said he and his brother recently lost their mother to cancer and that their father was suffering from the same disease. J.R. McInnis said he believed that Gregg had taken the additional job to help the family.