FARMINGTON, Maine (WMTW) – Agnes Barden’s attacker is released from prison Wednesday morning.

By the time she is released, she will have fled with her daughter. She says it’s her only option.

“I have a whole life I need to get out,” Barden said.

She says her husband abused her for years and she finally contacted the police when her husband threatened to burn down their house and kill her and their daughter.

Court documents show he pleaded guilty to domestic violence, terrorism and illegal firearm possession. Although he has already been convicted, he will be released after spending less than a year in prison.

“I was very adamant about it on sentencing day, and they still let him take a plea,” Barden said.

When she learned he was going to be released, she panicked and turned to lawyers for advice.

“She tells us we’re on a high mortality list,” Barden said of advice given to him by an advocate. “That’s what we have…if he’s released, there’s a good chance he’ll come home and try to harm you and your daughter.” You are not safe there.

She has a protection from abuse order against him, he will have to follow probation conditions, and local law enforcement has offered him some safety precautions, but she doesn’t think that’s enough to protect her. , she and her daughter. A lawyer told her she needed an escape plan.

“She puts all these ideas in my head to teach my daughter how to jump out the window and run to the nearest neighbor and teach them not to protect you and tell them that their life is more valuable than yours. . and she’s a “Seven-year-old, you’re telling me I have to tell these things to who,” Barden said. “It’s terrifying.”

Although her husband is prohibited from owning firearms, that has not stopped him from acquiring them in the past.

“I’m just going to make sure he can’t find us because my daughter and I are not a statistic,” Barden said. “I’m not going to allow it.”

She has packed all her things and she and her daughter are hiding.

“I don’t understand why our system is like this,” Barden said. “I think there needs to be change.”

Prosecutors say sometimes a plea deal is the best case scenario.

“A lot of this is based not on the safety of victims, but also on keeping defendants out of jail,” said Shira Burns, executive director of Maine Prosecutors. “They want them to be able to rehabilitate. »

In Barden’s case, it’s possible the defendant would have served a longer sentence if the case had gone to trial, but only if the prosecutor had managed to secure a guilty verdict, which Burns said is difficult in domestic violence cases where much of the abuse occurs behind. closed doors.

“Another factor to consider in plea deals is what the state can actually prove,” Barden noted.

District Attorney Neil McLean, whose prosecuting district includes Franklin County, where Barden’s husband was charged, said the prosecutor in this case took a unique approach, pursuing a longer sentence by filing charges for each weapon and helping to obtain a longer probation period.

Barden says she would feel safer if her attacker had electronic monitoring, and some counties offer GPS monitoring for pretrial detainees, but when it comes to probation, it would be up to the Maine Department of Corrections to take care of it, and Maine doesn’t. There is no state-level electronic monitoring program.

“Will the victim feel safe and will she actually be safe when the accused is released,” Burns asked. “The criminal justice system doesn’t provide that.”

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