AUGUSTA, Maine — A local man already serving a 40-year federal sentence on child pornography charges was sentenced Wednesday at the Capital Judicial Center to 60 years in state prison for sexual assaults on two boys who took karate classes from him, according to the Kennebec County district attorney’s office.
Wade Robert Hoover, 38, of Augusta pleaded guilty last year to four counts of gross sexual assault on a child under the age of 12, according to a previously published report. One count involved a victim from Somerset County and the other three involved a victim from Kennebec County, said Assistant District Attorney Paul Cavanaugh.
Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy sentenced Hoover to 25 years on the Somerset County charge and to 35 years on the Kennebec County charges, Cavanaugh said. Murphy ordered that Hoover serve those sentences consecutively.
She also ordered that Hoover serve the state sentence at the same time he is serving the federal sentence, Cavanaugh said. Hoover will be returned to Maine to serve the 60-year sentence after he completes the 40-year federal sentence.
Nine sex charges were dismissed at the sentencing.
Hoover faced up to life in state prison on the gross sexual assault charges because of the ages of his victims.
Cavanaugh said that one mother of a victim addressed the court Wednesday and the other submitted a victim impact statement in writing. The prosecutor said that both parents had said they were pleased that it is highly unlikely Hoover ever will be released from prison. If he were to be released, even with credit for good time, he would be in his 90s and would have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
He was sentenced in July 2013 in U.S. District Court to 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count each of production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
U.S. District Judge John Woodcock imposed the maximum sentences on each count and ordered Hoover to serve them consecutively, according to a previously published report. Hoover faced a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison on the production charge and up to 10 years in prison on the possession charge.
Hoover pleaded guilty to the federal charges in February 2013 when he admitted that he sexually assaulted two boys under the age of 12 who took karate lessons from him at his Lewiston studio, and recorded the assaults. He did not share the images on the Internet, according to court documents.
The state case was delayed when Hoover sought to dismiss the indictments for gross sexual assault in Kennebec and Somerset counties under the constitutional guarantee against double jeopardy. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court in August unanimously rejected the argument.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.