BANGOR, Maine — A Winterport girl took the witness stand in a Bangor courtroom Thursday and described in graphic detail the sexual assaults she says happened last year at the Carmel home of Richard Watson, 30, of Carmel.
Watson, who is related to the victim, faces two counts of gross sexual assault, a Class A crime; one count of unlawful sexual contact, a Class B crime; and one count of visual sexual aggression against a child, a Class C crime.
The Bangor Daily News is not naming the girl or revealing her relationship to the defendant because she may be a sexual assault victim.
After the girl was sworn in and sat down at the witness stand, she was asked to spell her name. She froze, hunched over and began to cry.
Court recessed to give the girl a chance to collect herself. She returned about 20 minutes later and was allowed to turn her seat away from the judge to face prosecuting Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy, who questioned her and had her lead jurors through what she says happened in Watson’s home on Dotties Way in Carmel last summer. A victim witness advocate sat next to the girl while she testified.
The girl said she visited the home occasionally and slept over during the summer of 2014.
One day in August 2014, she said Watson offered her $50 to use a sex toy and then offered to buy her a cellphone in exchange for intercourse. She said she accepted because she wanted a cellphone.
On another night, she said she was sleeping in the living room when Watson walked in and sexually assaulted her. She described both incidents in graphic detail, and said Watson also showed her pornographic videos.
The girl said she began “feeling guilty” about accepting the phone in trade and told a family member, who notified police. Watson was arrested Sept. 12.
Defense Attorney Robert Van Horn said in his opening statement to jurors that the girl fabricated these allegations against Watson. Watson has denied all allegations against him.
Watson’s attorney said the girl was exposed to pornographic videos and images by friends at a young age and “exhibited sexualized behavior, particularly for a [child of her age].” The girl said during her testimony that she and friends had watched pornographic videos on an electronic device.
Van Horn also claimed there was no physical evidence of sexual assault when the girl was evaluated and told the jurors they would not see enough evidence to prove the rapes “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The trial is expected to stretch into Friday.
If convicted, Watson could serve up to 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine on the two counts of gross sexual assault alone.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.