HOULTON, Maine — A Houlton man and local hockey coach has been arrested for alleged possession of sexually explicit materials of a minor under age 12 after police located him in Skowhegan.
Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin said Tuesday that Peter F. Alden, 33, was arrested on the Class C charge on Monday by the Skowhegan Police Department.
According to Asselin, the investigation was initiated on July 2 as a result of a referral from the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Augusta. A hospital staff person indicated that Alden may have had a sexual encounter with an underage female.
Police are not disclosing the age of the victim or any details relating to the alleged sexual encounter.
As a result of information obtained by Houlton Detective Kris Calaman during the investigation, a search warrant was prepared and police subsequently seized Alden’s cellphone, an iPod and a laptop computer.
The devices later were transferred to Detective William Scull of the Presque Isle Police Department for forensic analysis.
Police indicate that there were numerous sexually provocative images of female children under the age of 12 found on the iPod. Many of the images would be viewed as either child erotica or child pornography, according to Asselin.
Shortly after he left the veteran’s hospital, Alden entered a men’s shelter in Skowhegan.
Originally from Cape Cod, Mass., Alden moved to Houlton approximately eleven months ago and resided on River Street.
While living in Houlton, Alden worked for Steelstone Industries for a short period of time and coached youth hockey.
Detective Kris Calaman and Officer Ezekiel Collins of the Houlton Police Department are the primary investigating officers on the case.
So many animals on the loose these days, it’s down right frightening
Look at the smile on the face of that piece of trash, what a loser.
While I don’t come to his defense at all, it looks like an ID pic (for the school maybe?)
It is. From his license taken 3 years ago.
truly a monster.
What’s that got to do with PRESIDENT (to you by the way, respect goes a long way) Obama?
Are you really, really that dense to blame progressives for some random person being a child molester?
HUGE HINT FOR THE IGNORANT: Child molesters come from every walk of life and span the entire political spectrum.
leave obama out of it
There are too many child predators and we just learn about the ones who get caught. Parents, be careful who you allow around your children. Some of these creeps look perfectly normal and act quite charming. They move from state to state and city to city in an effort to avoid detection.
Many pedophiles befriend the parents of their young victims so they have unfettered access. That guy that wants to take your kid on vacation or camping may not be a nice guy. Parents of a young girl getting a lot of attention from an older male should beware. It sucks that you have to suspect everybody, but that is the only way to keep your kids safe. Less suspicious is a family camping trip, i.e. husband, wife and other kids, but any single person taking an interest in your kids should be a red flag. Sadly, there are some nice people out there, but because there are bad people too, use caution.
My late husband was abused by Catholic clergy and later by a Scout Master who told his single mother he would be a father figure to the kid. In this case, he was. His father was a monster too, that’s why Mom was single. When his brother told his mother what was going on the Scout Master and the boy were in a motorcycle accident. Guess who did NOT get hurt? If you guessed the Scout Master you would be right. The boy was laying in a ditch, severely injured and this “father-figure” did nothing to help him but started crying and wringing his hands once police and ambulance were on scene!!!
I have been dealing with pedophiles or the results of the damage they cause for my entire professional career. Where do people think all the alcoholics, drug addicts, homeless, mentally ill people come from? Many, though not necessarily all, were molested by someone they trusted. I know all too well how manipulative child molesters can be.
Pornography addiction and child molestation are entirely different monsters. Have you counseled pornography addicts and educated yourself to the progression of such addictions?
What I do know for sure is that pedophiles have a sexual preference for children. People into child porn in fact have been known to molest children. Even people heavily into porn do not necessarily have any interest in child porn. I cannot say that I have counseled pornography addicts. I do not accept the excuse that they are addicted to porn when it comes to child pornography. Even addicts have the ability to make choices, and they are responsible for those choices. And just because someone has an impulse to do something does not mean that they have to do it.
…and there are people that drive cars and some commit vehicular homicide. Indeed the definition of a pedophile is the fact that they are enamoured with children. And yes….not ALL pornography addicts turn to child pornography…not yet…but just wait..the longer they’re addicted..the further they up the ante…So….you’ve been an addict and know all there is to know about it? What are your credentials?
By not “accepting the excuse” that a pornography addiction can advance to more deviant behavior over a 20 yr period of time…well, you are entitled to an opinion….but it is not substantiated by FACT. There are documented percentage rates, but you are saying that all men must hog the remote control because they are men. No facts. Only opinion. Try researching the R.U.L.E. Program. I believe they would beg to differ.
Do you even know the medically defined answer to your comment….”Even addicts have the ability to make choices, and they are responsible for those choices. And just because someone has an impulse to do something does not mean that they have to do it.” Seriously?? An addiction is the INability to control urges. Sexual addictions are unlike Substance addictions and are called Process Addictions. There is a reason people go for help in dealing with an addiction….BECAUSE IT HAS SPIRALED OUT OF THEIR CONTROL. Ignorant statement. I’m sure every OCD and Shopaholic and Gambling Addict would LOVE to be able to just make the choice to stop. I’m sure those that love them do too. EDUCATE YOURSELF!! A quote from a medical source: “Behavioral addiction, which is sometimes referred to as impulse control disorders, are increasingly recognized as treatable forms of addictions.[13] The type of behaviors which some people have identified as being addictive include gambling, food, sex, viewing of pornography, use of computers, playing video games, use of the internet, work, exercise, spiritual obsession (as opposed to religious devotion), cutting, and shopping.”
LMAO lets hang him…..oh wait thats right we have only heard from the Bangor Daily News and the police so far….nothing from his defense team, so this man is still innocent….right? sorry lets just hang him in our comments here before he is proven guilty…..lol un educated people do not know any better…welcome to the comments here
“i dont know where those sexually explicit materials of a minor came from officer.” “they must have been in my ipod, laptop, and cellphone when i bought them?”
Mine only came with a couple of games, and while I have heard of cases where there was music preloaded on Ipods, I have never heard of them coming with any type of explicit images of minors. If that there the case, all the child predators would want one.
It might be possible to unknowingly download a single image, but that is far less likely today than in the past. Plus you have to pay for most of that garbage, which is why these guys never delete it.
If a person had a single image, even a couple, on a single device, I would be inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. However, forensics can show how many times illegal sites have been visited and how many and when images were downloaded. Our web surfing almost always leaves an “electronic footprint.”
I don’t believe everything I read and would rather rely on evidence presented in court and not the police stating what they “found” oh wait how silly that would be the way it is suppose to work lol
Many child predators are good at avoiding getting caught. But innocent people do not have such images on their Ipods. And anyone who has that type of material is not just looking at “dirty pictures” but has at least intent of molesting children. And I would watch what assumptions I make about people’s educational levels. Some who comment have college degrees, including advanced degrees. Having an opinion about someone who is arrested for this type of offense does not mean that we are ignorant and “don’t know any better”. And for the record, even if he is acquitted, it does not necessarily mean that he is innocent, only that there may not be enough evidence to convict.
Common sense and education do not always collate.
An “opinion” based on a B.D.N. story, or a police arrest is NOT an “educated” opinion. Your whole post reeks of unfounded “opinion” and while you have the right to any opinion, no matter how off the grid, that sword cuts both ways. I have an opinion you are uneducated on this subject no matter how many degrees you possess.
Your statement: “(sic)even if he is acquitted, it does not necessarily mean that he is
innocent, only that there may not be enough evidence to convict” is absolutely false. Under our system, if you are not convicted you enjoy the presumption of innocence. Don’t like that system? Iran, China, and Saudi Arabia have different ways of treating people. Perhaps you might like it better there?
He is innocent until proven guilty. That’s the American way. If he is found guilty of the charges against him then, I hope he gets the maximum sentence allowed by law. This type of crime is happening more everyday. Sad.
Couldn’t agree with you more
Are you joking? The guy is a coach for young people and got caught with child porn, must just be a misunderstanding huh.
Did you read the article? He was arrested for suspected improper sexual behavior and then possession of child porn. Believe me, the police have better things to do than arrest innocent people.
He is charged with possession. Zero charges re: behavior. They are taking it and running with it because it would be too “boring” to actually tell the truth about a War Vet having a pornography addiction.
Laugh my butt off! I can’t believe u just said that. And won’t elaborate except to say if your accused of rape your getting arrested first then may get charged or the charges could be dropped….omg that was dumb what u just said
Don’t be a clown. You think the story is made up? Do you think the probable cause (hospital report) and the physical evidence (computer images) were made up? Do you think the BDN invented this story? Out of the hundreds of criminal cases, how often are charges dropped when there is physical evidence? So laugh all you want.
There’s nothing I’d like to do more than to shove his cell phone, iPod and laptop down his throat with my foot and wipe that smile off his face.
Don’t worry fellow commenters that smile you see in the picture will be wiped out if he goes to prison. Those people are waiting for him there and want to take care of him!
P
I
G
River Street – just down the hill from me. Reaffirms the fact that even though it seems safe, my 11 year old daughter is not allowed to walk downtown without myself or another adult present, and will not be for quite some time. Sickening.
This isnt his mugshot, this is his license picture.
Amazing what the newspaper will print. Unsubtantiated, untruths allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions based on stereotypical social assumption…or in this case, judgement. I have followed this case and know for a fact that Mr. Alden NEVER assaulted anyone, much less a MINOR. There was NEVER a search warrant. Mr Alden turned himself in and handed the stuff over to the cops. He contacted the police to tell them where he was. There was no “finding” him. The sad part is that people dont know anything about the circumstances and make judgements based on this article. The photo is, in fact, his license photo taken years ago. Perhaps we should put more effort into educating our kids about pornography and the dangers of addictions. Perhaps if society was educated about such taboo subjects then the people afflicted with addictions would have somewhere to go for help. No one wants to help or even try to understand…only to judge. Let me guess…if every sinister or unsavory thought or action you have EVER had were put on display for public consumption…could YOU handle the judgements you’re dishing out?
(((stomp stomp stomp)))
Irving & Marr Farms ~ Woodland, ME I’ll remember not to send my clients there. I’m sure Beecher & Hemphill could use the business. Aren’t you the same woman that “joked” about making a “deposit” to Child and Protective Services? Who are you to judge?
“Police indicate that there were numerous sexually provocative images of female children under the age of 12 found on the iPod. Many of the images would be viewed as either child erotica or child pornography, according to Asselin.” This is totally acceptable to you? Sorry I’m finding this tough to defend whether you feel he’s a nice guy or not and regardless of the fact he passed a back ground check and hasn’t ACTED out any under age children, even if you know this for a fact. The police must have had substantial reason to investigate this man because as a prior poster already said, the police aren’t just out looking for innocent people to harrass. They are responsible and paid to investigate. This is a pretty confident statement to be made to the press by the police officer if it was unfounded. Is it sad that the media has a hold of it to garner public opinion and judgement before he gets a trial? Yes, but that is freedom of press in this country and as a parent I would rather be over informed than under informed there is a possible pedophile in the neighborhood and worse coaching children. Child pornography is illegal, he made a choice to have it in his possession, now its just a matter of seeing what the evidence from his lap top will show. Your staunch defense of this man would indicate you are fairly close to him…so Irving & Marr Farms won’t get any of your business because Janet Marr posted a one word opinion on this article. Okay. Well hopefully for all involved this is just a big misunderstanding…
No. It’s not acceptable at all. They investigated because he turned himself in. Not because of some great super-sleuthing. He is not with children. He is not and will not ever coach again. He knew he would lose everything as a result of throwing himself to the wolves. But I would rather know that someone took the time to address their issues and stop them in their tracks regardless of the fallout and the torture they would receive at the hands of the public, than continue on this dark path and cause real harm to others. He has harmed himself. I cant take pleasure in kicking someone when they’re down. Being over informed involves factual information. There was no assault. I wish parents would be educated to the evils that are well within the reach of children. I wish the public was educated by every taboo subject out there. Why not address the fact that child pornography is out there and there are zero safeguards to prevent ANYONE from accessing them? We’d rather vent on line than actually take the time to make a difference. Our society as a whole does not discuss nor try to understand where these addictions come from. Only judge them when they do. I would rather know the origin and take part in preventing future incidents through educating than waste time bashing people. They have mothers and fathers and wives. Some have children. Until you walk in their shoes or take the time to collect information to make an informed choice instead of being herded by the masses for fear of being judged yourself…well, you are entitled to your opinion. Marr’s post is a prime example of how ignorant people are. If she were in front of him would she actually “(((stomp stomp stomp)))” him? What if she was his friend and actually knew him….what if she loved him…..would she still stomp him..or want to gather as much information as humanly possible to make sure it never happened again?
His life in Houlton is ruined. His reputation in tatters, and his friends probably avoid him.
Everyone suffers when charges of a sexual nature are reported BEFORE trial and conviction.
If he is found innocent, there will be a story about that too. Probably a paragraph back near the classifieds.
Key players took the liberty of defaming him. No one looks at all the good he has done in his life. Face it. It would be such a boring story if they told the truth. They didnt even get his age right.
You are unbelievable!!
Exactly what is unbelievable about the United States Constitution? A person enjoys the presumption of innocence UNTIL he/she is tried and found guilty.
Did he have a background check to coach hockey?
Yes. And to umpire football games and hockey games.
Should be cut up and used for Nessie chum
Intelligence is not a choice…you either are… or perhaps you have some deep dark secrets….spill ’em so we can lay judgement on you.
I know this man personally and well and am very familiar with his demons that he very much admits to and acknowledges and is seeking help for. In no way shape or form would Pete ever harm a child, physically or psychologically. I agree with Starkravingmad, There is a big difference between a child molester and a porn addict. Pete is no child molester and I bet there are hundreds of kids he has worked closely with that will certainly agree with that. This article is poorly written and the facts are very skewed. We all have demons and secrets. It is very easy to point the finger at someone else so long as you are not getting caught in your own closet. Before passing judgement the facts of this case should be able to present themselves. In the mean time look in the mirror for a few and judge what you see, not a poorly written article with half facts and lies. For shame on you all.
not guity
all they have to do is point the finger at you and your guilty so don’t be too fast to judge…it could be YOU…