LEWISTON, Maine — Alexis Wright, the woman charged in connection with the Kennebunk prostitution investigation, and the father of her 7-year-old son have reached a custody agreement under which the boy will be staying with his father.
Benjamin Hopkins, the father of Wright’s child, filed for primary custody in late October. In a hearing held in Lewiston family court Thursday, and closed to the public, Hopkins’ attorney Dana Prescott said the couple worked out an agreement under which their son will stay with Hopkins with opportunities to also have time with his mother.
“They really, to their credit, under these very difficult circumstances, they really did put their son first,” Prescott said. “Neither one of these parents have lost sight of their son.”
Prescott said the details of the agreement and hearing are under seal by the judge. He said the agreement will be in place as Wright’s legal case continues.
Wright, 29, of Wells, is charged with 106 counts including prostitution, tax evasion and invasion of privacy.
In court paperwork Hopkins filed seeking primary custody, he cited the media attention her case has received, as well as four “inappropriate pictures” of his son and Wright, allegedly taken off the camera of Mark Strong, the 57-year-old Thomaston man charged with 59 counts, including promoting prostitution and invasion of privacy.
Police say Strong was Wright’s partner in crime and that the two ran a prostitution operation out of Wright’s former Pura Vida Studio and a nearby office space in Kennebunk for more than a year and a half, conspiring to film her sexual encounters with clients without their knowledge.
Describing the pictures found on Strong’s camera, Hopkins says, “My son appeared naked covered from the waist down with only a sheet. Alexis was fully naked rubbed up against my son.”
Prescott said Thursday that conditions have been placed for the family, including a guardian ad litem who will have access to information needed to benefit and support the child.
“We put some pieces in place for the family,” he said. “The parents really did a very effective job. It took some willingness to put their child ahead. If something doesn’t work or needs to be changed, we’ll handle that too.”
“Neither one of these parents have lost sight of their son.”
I’d say his mother did! This young man is going to grow up knowing his mom was a prostitute. Great. So nice to hear she’s suddenly become concerned for his well-being.
Do People working on roofs, policemen , firemen loose sight of their children because their jobs a dangerous?
Really, comparing the jobs of honest, taxpaying Americans to that of a prostitute? Yeah, sure the jobs you mentioned are dangerous, but in the case of policemen and firemen, at least they are risking their lives doing something honorable, something legal. She deserves to go to jail, she deserves to lose custody of her son. She commited a crime. End of story.
They may have “honorable” jobs but still no different in my eyes. Though my vision is not usually one that the general brain wahsed public agrees with.
What makes her the bad guy, she offers a service. the bad guys are the ones who betray their families and tell lies. Did they lose custody of their children? Most of them took vows to respect their wives and cherish their families. I think they are the true bad guys in this story.
Just my distorted opinion
Well unless she had the child with her it doesn’t auto make her a bad mother.
Engaging in criminal conduct when one has a family to take care of is an automatic “bad parent!” in my book. The reasons are too numerous to list here.. but they are all about the risks involved.
She’s very very sorry……that she got caught. She didn’t voluntarily contact the boy’s father and say..”hey you better have custody because I am doing prostitution and that’s not something our son should be exposed to”. REALLY putting her son first…no she got CAUGHT and had to.
How’s that righteous indignation today, worked up a good head of steam about what might or might not happen? Good, great, more coffee and a soap opera will do ya. :LOL And the boy could move with his father to Bugtussle and never hear another word about it too, but that’s not dramatic at all, right?
Maybe our world needs more “righteous indignation”.
That and two bucks will get ya a coffee and donut. Roosevelt said ‘our nation would rise up in righteous might’ — not righteous indignation. “Indignation,” — to me anyhow — is a bunch of folks pooping and clucking about the behavior of total strangers with no intention of becoming involved in any way. But that just my take…
I can’t imagine what this child is facing every day at school. Kids can be so cruel to one another. It’s incredible that any mother could create such a public scandal for her family to have to live with. All the publicity surrounding her activities will follow them for a long time. I hope the father is a good influence on his son.
true, kids are cruel. They will pick on anyone they can. Because they stink, they dont have a dad, they are fat, they look different you know all the reasons.
The fact is we have to develope thick skin.
I hope if anyone makes any comments to this little boy he knows enough to say, and your dad was my moms biggest customer!!!
Sorry I know I will ahve some hating over this one
Have a rough childhood or what, pally? You were fat, smelled bad and dad left town with a Yoo Hoo bottler? Damn, dude. LOL Get your point, ho — kids are basically little savages, I remember being one. But your point seems to be based on the idea this boy will be be growing up right nearby, and that’s not a given. On the other hand, the kids of all them “johnny-boys’ are mostly gonna be right around somewhere all their lives.
Well she didn’t do it alone, why no public outrage for the children of the men who gave her money?
The wives and children of these men that paid for her services are suffering terribly I’m sure. I’ll bet some of the men will lose their wives and children through divorce. It takes two to tango and the men and the Wright woman are both at fault. Wright wasn’t concerned about her own son at the time, or of the children of the men she serviced
Interesting….and did any of the john’s who may have children lose custody of their children ??
I’m sure some are on their way to divorce court and many probably will have custody disputes. Why would they be any different?
Maybe they didn’t pose naked with their children…
They would have so charged her with kiddie porn if they thought this was a bad picture. They don’t like her – you don’t think they would have heaved that book at her also?
Very Good caring parents.. Couldn’t ask for a better deal…
Now we need to see the name of the elitist Johns Please
I hope when this is all over with that it is worth the price that so many have had to pay. :(
Apparently there were over a hundred-fifty who lined up willing to pay plenty.
She wouldn’t have stood a chance if she fought it. Sounds like the son is in the right place
She has a fine a s s
does your mommy know that you’re making comments like that on here?
does your mommy know you’re making comments like that on here?
Were you one of the “johns”?
The child’s mother has been to busy keeping up with the govenors motto, “Maine -Open for Business”. She is very busy with her “Zumba” moves and “Hollywood” style filming company.
Yeah, Gawd forbid a mother should be naked next to her own child — who the sniveler says ‘appeared to be naked under a sheet’ — maybe even lean against each other. We know that’s some kind of heinous crime right there, eh? Might be a bit too close for comfort in some families, but it sure didn’t rate child porn by any legal standards.
The evil little tune in my head right now is “Daddy needs a dope-slap, Daddy needs a dope-slap!” for trying to drag this weak nonsense into a custody case. But that’s just me.
Would you stick up for your own wife had she done all the things the Wright woman did?
Lets don’t get this all out-of-context, partner. I’m talking about this one picture mentioned — quite specifically — and you’re trying to wrap it into the whole situation again. Got nothing to do with my wife or family — likely not yours either.
I wonder if a paternity test was done?
Despite what the article says about their “agreement” it doesn’t sound so much like an agreement. Sounds more like they ran out of time in mediation, and this is another temporary agreement, since a guardian ad litem is still involved.
It also says she was accused, and charged, but it doesn’t say she was convicted. There is a difference, and what happened to innocent until proven guilty? If people are innocent they go free, if they go to a mental hospital they never get that chance to prove they are not mental and lose rights.
I say based on the picture described she agreed before he was taken. Can you say child pornography being an added charge on top of all else.