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A Maine man accused of sexually assaulting a dog and sexually exploiting a child was committed to a hospital for mental health treatment.
Christopher Colson, 25, of Lewiston was found not mentally competent to assist in his legal proceedings and was committed to treatment during about a five-minute-long hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court in Bangor.
He is charged with two felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child sex abuse materials in federal court.
Colson is not mentally competent to proceed to trial, his attorney, Steve Smith, and Assistant U.S. Attorney General Ethan Plaut said. Judge Stacey Neumann agreed, finding there was a preponderance of evidence that Colson is mentally incompetent.
He is committed to the custody of the U.S. attorney general and will be hospitalized for treatment. After an unspecified length of treatment, the office will issue a report about Colson’s mental capacity.
If Colson is found competent the case will proceed, according to the law. He also can be committed for additional treatment.
Colson is also charged with a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals and a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals in Somerset County Superior Court. He allegedly sexually assaulted a dog that had to be euthanized because of its injuries.
That case is still pending.