Former gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler turned himself in to authorities Tuesday after being accused of once again violating the terms of his probation.
Cutler was convicted in 2023 of four felony counts for possession of sexually explicit materials involving children under age 12. As part of a plea agreement, the 79-year-old Brooklin resident served less than a year in jail on a four-year sentence. He was also placed on probation for six years.
But in October, Cutler's probation officer accused him of failing to notify him that he had accessed a website containing sexually explicit materials while allegedly trying to arrange for an escort from a California massage parlor. The officer also alleged Cutler violated his probation by connecting to the internet using cellphones that had not been subject to monitoring.
He pleaded not guilty to the probation violation charges in December and was allowed to stay out of jail after paying a $1,000 bail bond last month. But then on Monday, Cutler was accused in court documents of once again violating the terms of his probation on Dec. 28 and on Jan. 2.
Cutler's attorney, Walt McKee, confirmed that his client turned himself in at the Hancock County jail in Ellsworth on Tuesday. McKee said his client denies the allegations.
On Monday, a judge also granted a request from Hancock County District Attorney Robert Granger that the court impound screenshots depicting "graphic, nude and/or sexually explicit images or suggestive sexual acts of females and males" as part of this latest case. The DA's request said, however, that the state has no information about the age of the individuals depicted in the screenshots or whether they had consented to having the images published.
Cutler was an attorney who ran for governor twice as an independent, narrowly losing to Republican Gov. Paul LePage in 2010.
Cutler is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 26.
