AUGUSTA — A man committed to state custody went AWOL from his supervised-living apartment in the city last November and was arrested by police five days later in Georgia.
Now, Andrew E. Bilyeu, 40, has lost his off-grounds privileges and is living back at Riverview Psychiatric Center.
Bilyeu pleaded guilty Wednesday in Kennebec County Superior Court to a charge of escape as well as an additional felony charge of unlawful possession of hydrocodone.
Assistant District Attorney Paul Rucha said Bilyeu was committed to the custody of the Commissioner of the Department of Health & Human Services by an order from Penobscot County Superior Court on Jan. 14, 2009.
Bilyeu had been found not criminally responsible on charges of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and assault on an officer.
Rucha said Bilyeu was living in an apartment in the community supervised by the Riverview Assertive Community Treatment Team when he failed to return by curfew time Nov. 4, 2011.
Supervisors told Augusta police that Bilyeu’s car, clothes and laptop were gone.
Five days later, Bilyeu was arrested in Bartow County, Ga., and later extradited to Maine to face the escape charge.
Then, while he was back at Riverview Psychiatric Center, Rucha said, hospital workers reported Bilyeu was acting abnormally April 11. He told Capitol Police officers that he had found drugs in the bathroom and took them, Rucha said.
Tests found hydrocodone, Diazepam and acetaminophen in his system, Rucha said.
Justice Michaela Murphy asked attorneys several questions to ensure there was no doubt about Bilyeu’s competency to enter pleas to the charges.
She sentenced him to 45 days in jail, with credit for 44 days he was already held, and fined him $400.
The state did not seek restitution for extradition costs, and Murphy found he was not capable of paying $240 restitution for drug analysis.
His attorney, J. Mitchell Flick, said Bilyeu previously had held jobs outside the hospital but would not be doing that any time soon. Now he is working one hour a week inside the hospital.
“He will be at the hospital for a long time before community placement is considered,” Flick said.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
badams@centralmaine.com
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