A former Veazie police officer was found guilty of possessing sexually explicit material of a child younger than 12.
Eric B. Robitaille, 41, was found guilty of one felony count of possession of sexually explicit material of a minor under 12, and three misdemeanor counts of possession of sexually explicit material. Penobscot County Judge Bruce Mallonee issued his decision Friday after a three-day bench trial.
Robitaille was a part-time police officer in Veazie when Maine State Police executed search warrants Feb. 11, 2022, at Robitaille’s home and the police station, according to court records. Robitaille was arrested on Dec. 1, 2022.
His employment with Veazie police ended Feb. 14, 2022, Chief Mark Leonard said. Robitaille also worked at the University of Maine Police Department starting in 2013, according to his Linkedin.
Robitaille started working at Veazie police Nov. 21, 2021. He also worked as a special agent with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
His attorney did not respond to request for comment
Maine State Police received a tip in November 2020 from the the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that 11 images containing child sexual abuse material were uploaded to MeWe, a social media site, according to court records.
Investigators confirmed the account and internet provided were linked to Robitaille in November 2021. He was indicted on the charges Nov. 30, 2022.
The case proceeded slowly through the court in part because Robitaille had a few different attorneys, Penobscot County Deputy District Attorney Chelsea Lynds said.
Getting a conviction was difficult because the images Robitaille viewed had been deleted from his devices, but file names and caches helped, Lynds said.
“This was a person in a position of trust, so we really wanted to get the right outcome here and so I’m happy that it worked out the way that it did,” Lynds said.
Robitaille is out on bail and will be sentenced later this fall.