WISCASSET, Maine — A Newcastle man will spend 120 days in jail and two years on probation for possessing child pornography.
Robert Ransley, 59, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lincoln County Superior Court to a single count of Class C felony possession of sexually explicit materials, according to court documents. A felony charge indicates materials that depict a child younger than 12.
In exchange for his plea, the district attorney’s office dismissed the other 19 charges against Ransley — nine counts of felony possession and 10 counts of Class D misdemeanor possession. A misdemeanor charge indicates materials that depict a child under 16.
Ransley, a well-known painter whose work is exhibited in galleries across the country, was sentenced to three years in custody with all but 120 days suspended, plus two years of probation.
His probation conditions prohibit contact with children younger than 16 except contact with family members under parental supervision, prohibit Internet access and the possession or use of devices capable of Internet access, prohibit the possession or viewing of “sexually oriented material,” require sex offender treatment and subject him to random search.
Ransley must report to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset at 6 p.m. Friday
Ransley was arrested July 16, 2014, by Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit Special Agent Justin Kittredge. Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland said at the time that Ransley’s computer “showed thousands of images of child porn,” but none were believed to be from Maine.