BREWER, Maine — An electronic photo of a sexual assault involving a child was sent to police, and a local man and woman are now behind bars facing aggravated gross sexual assault charges, Brewer police Detective Sgt. Jay Munson said Tuesday.
Brewer residents Katie R. Dube, 27, of Washington Street and Terrence A. Pinkham, 27, of Tibbetts Street were arrested just before 9 a.m. Thursday, May 3, and charged with felony gross sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a minor, the detective said.
“Someone acquainted with the two gained access to [the sexual assault image] and forwarded it along to law enforcement,” Michael Roberts, deputy district attorney for Penobscot County, said Tuesday about the incriminating digital picture.
Roberts said the victim was a 7-year-old male at the time of the crime and is related to one of the accused.
Dube and Pinkham made their first court appearance on Friday. Dube’s bail was set at $50,000 cash and Pinkham’s bail was set at $100,000.
Pinkham and Dube were charged with Class A gross sexual assault, which carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison, and Class B sexual exploitation of a minor.
“Gross sexual assault is having sexual contact or intercourse with someone who has not yet reached the age of 12,” Munson said. “Sexual exploitation is creating or taking film of someone engaged in a sexual act that has not yet attained the age of 12.”
They “created child porn,” the detective said, explaining the second charge. The electronic images “were never disseminated [over the Internet] that we know about,” he added.
The Department of Health and Human Services partnered with Brewer police during the ongoing investigation that started in November, Munson said.
Most likely Dube and Pinkham will be indicted by the Penobscot County grand jury, which is scheduled to meet later this month.
Their next scheduled court date is July 5.
Pinkham was charged in November with unlawful possession of a synthetic hallucinogen after he was found with bath salts drugs when arrested for attempting to avoid paying a taxicab fare. He also was convicted of sale and use of drug paraphernalia in November and ordered to pay a $300 fine, according to court listings printed in the Bangor Daily News.
Both Dube and Pinkham were taken to Penobscot County Jail in Bangor after their arrests, and both remained behind bars Tuesday unable to make bail.
BDN writer Judy Harrison contributed to this story.
They should spend life in prison!
that’s too good for what they deserve.
We live in a society which is getting sicker by the moment!
When you read these articles in the papers, they make you sick. I believe that this type of exploitation has always gone on to some degree and expanded now that the WWW is the communication method of choice among many. The good thing is that there are more of these type of people being caught now that wouldn’t have been in past years, and so it looks like sexual perversions are skyrocketing if the newspapers are any indication. But chin up, there are still lots of good, decent folks in society who, like you, abhor this behavior.
I’m glad that somebody found out about it and turned them in.
My opinion is law enforcement as well as the DHHS should be charged with Felony Child endangerment themselves for the simple fact as they clearly state in the article….The investigation has been ongoing since NOVEMBER!!! They allowed these children and possible many many more to be sexually assaulted for 6 months!!!!!! This is just so saddening to even contemplate reading an update. Those poor children. I hope and pray they were not repeatedly assaulted over that SIX MONTH time frame it took authorities to finally protect them.
One, you don’t know it was a DHHS investigation, or even what was being investigated, it could have to do with the drug abuse.. No one ‘allowed” children to be assulted, that is a very odd thing to say. Like it or not, there are laws and rules of evidence that have to be followed. Finally, you have no idea when this assult took place, it sounds like years ago to me. They say there was a 7 year old male, and also say not one of the victams has reached 12 yet. That is a 5 year span. These people are evil and need to be punished severely. DHHS was just doing what it was supposed to do.
The article clearly states the DHHS joined Authorities in their investigation in which started in November. If it were a picture or video of your 7 yr old son I don’t hink you would want it to take 6 months to arrest them.
The child was removed over 9 months ago so he has been safe for that time period. He was removed once it was discovered what was happening.
Well that is a relief.
He’ll get 30 yrs, she’ll get 30 days
“He made me do it!’
Where in the hell are the parents of these little kids? How could someone rape your kid for 6 months and you not have a clue?
What if it is their own child they molested? Just sayin…and yes the child was removed from them back in November and has been in safe hands since then.
Wouldn’t surprise me at all. The article says the child is related to one of them.
My father raped me for 11 years. He threatened to kill my mother and my sisters if I told anyone. Where was my mother?Ii thought she didn’t know until last year when she said to me ” I used to watch your father rape you, and I enjoyed it.” I will never talk to her again. As for being a child who was sexual abused, to have the statistics thrown in your face that you are likely to grow up and be an abuser, I find it so completely offensive, damaging, and hurtful. I could NEVER violate someone’s, a child’s or anyone else’s trust and body like that. I also think it makes the trauma recovery more difficult. These two, along with my parents, may rot in hell.
I don’t get it!!! What is wrong with these people??? Sex and children don’t go together!!
What????? I’ve only lived in Maine for 5 years now….what are you saying??? It’s only a crime if 12 or under..???? OMG…..So 13, 14, would be alright?? hmmmmm…thinking perhaps that’s ridiculous and the laws need to be changed…yes?
It is a Class A felony if the victim is under 12, Class B felony if victim is 12-17.
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/17-a/title17-Asec282.html
Someone asked,,what’s wrong with this woman…well chances are she’s a victim of abuse in her life. It just goes around and around and around,, the abused often grow up and are abusers themselves.
That is such a bad excuse,and not very often does that ever happend,If someone is abused growing up it’s about a 87-92% chance that MIGHT happend but mostly people who have been abused growing up are more sympathetic and would never abuse anyone , so “chances are” is wrong, just think how you just made alot of survivors of abuse feel, not very good, So please think before you judge….
Thanks Alta. Couldn’t think of a way to phrase it myself. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I could never imagine putting someone through the emotional damage I’ve gone through. It isn’t the happy life a child should be living.
The statistics say that 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children. http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics#5
This guys been in trouble MANY times before, why was he even allowed out, or allowed to get away with the crimes he’s already committed? In August 2011, he crashed his car and took the police on a chase, and then in November 2011 he was busted for drugs, and then NOW he’s molesting kids! And the girl is just as messed up! It’s not right that the law can’t help the innocent, only the guilty! I’m sure these guys will get a slap on the hand and asked not to do it again. *shake head*
life in prison period
Perhaps they were trying to keep up with the lewd Facebook exploitation of children being raped, etc,– the report can be found at World Net Daily.
That is such a bad excuse,and not very often does that ever happend,If someone is abused growing up it’s about a 87-92% chance that MIGHT happend but mostly people who have been abused growing up are more sympathetic and would never abuse anyone , so “chances are” is wrong, just think how you just made alot of survivors of abuse feel, not very good, So please think before you judge….
they should all get the death penalty…..as a survivor of such abuse I can tell you it colors your whole world…..
A pair of upstanding citizens!! Unbelievable that anyone can do this to children.
Brink back the death penalty
Disgusting individuals. What’s also disgusting is how much time these people serve for their crimes. Thieves get longer sentences than child molesters, when they are stealing something too, a child’s innocence.
Seven years old? That’s just sick.