ELLSWORTH, Maine — In the Hancock County Courthouse on a cool Friday morning, 22-year-old Noelle Tavares stood before a judge and her loved ones saying:
"I plea guilty."
The former Maine Maritime Academy student pleaded guilty to one felony count of furnishing liquor to a minor, according to court documents.
"We had evidence that she had purchased some of the alcohol the driver had consumed that night," Hancock County District Attorney Bob Granger explained outside of the courthouse.
By accepting the plea, several charges that Tavares was previously facing, including manslaughter and driving to endanger, will be dropped.
"She will have a criminal record but at the end of the day out of 14 counts, she'll have a single Count D misdemeanor on her record," Tavares' defense attorney William Bly said.
Despite being a passenger, Tavares was initially accused of being an "accomplice or co-conspirator" in the crash that killed 20-year-old Brian Kenealy of York; 21-year-old Chase Fossett of Gardiner; 22-year-old Luke Simpson of Rockport, Massachusetts; and 20-year-old Riley Ignacio-Cameron of Aquinnah, Massachusetts.
According to prosecutors, the driver of the vehicle, Joshua Goncalves-Radding, was traveling more than 100 miles per hour on Shore Road in Castine when the car went about 60 feet into the air, hit a tree, and burst into flames. He was under the age of 21 at the time, and police say he had alcohol and marijuana in his system.
In June of 2024, Goncalves-Radding was sentenced to three years in prison for his involvement in the crash.
Tavares’ sentencing has been deferred for two years and she will have the opportunity to lower the charge to a misdemeanor by following a set of conditions during the deferment. These include speaking to new Maine Maritime Academy students about the tragedy.
"There needs to be some kind of learning from this, kids just don't understand the consequences of driving under the influence," Bly said.
If the conditions are met, Tavares will receive a $500 fine, but if not, she could be sentenced to up to five years in prison. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 17, 2026.