BANGOR, Maine — It took a Penobscot County jury less than an hour Friday to find a Carmel man guilty of sexually assaulting a Winterport girl after a two-day trial at the Penobscot Judicial Center.
Richard Watson, 30, was convicted of two counts of gross sexual assault, a Class A crime; one count of unlawful sexual contact, also a Class A crime; and one count of visual sexual aggression against a child, a Class C crime.
It was not immediately clear Friday if Watson will appeal the decision. Defense attorney Robert Van Horn declined to comment after the verdict was reached.
Watson was arrested on Sept. 12, 2014. He had been free on bail in the months leading to the trial.
Watson was taken into custody immediately after the verdict was read. He is being held without bail pending his sentencing, which expected to occur in about a month.
The Bangor Daily News is not naming the girl or revealing her relationship to the defendant because she is a sexual assault victim.
“We’re quite pleased with the verdict,” Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy said after the trial’s conclusion. “I think this was a really difficult case for a number of people, especially the victim, her family, the jurors, and the agony’s over in this case.
“I think that the swiftness of the verdict reflected the conviction that the jury really believed the victim in this case. She was 10 years old when it happened and 11 years old when she testified,” Almy said. “It was very hard for her to go through this, and I think the jury recognized the difficulty that she had and that she was telling the truth.”
Watson could serve up to 30 years in prison and face a $50,000 fine for each of the three Class A crimes, although Almy said that was unlikely and that Watson more likely could serve 20 to 30 years.
Bangor Daily News writer Nick McCrea contributed to this report.
To reach a sexual assault advocate, call the Statewide Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Line at 800-871-7741, TTY 888-458-5599. This free and confidential 24-hour service is accessible from anywhere in Maine. Calls are automatically routed to the closest sexual violence service provider.