A former Whitefield man has been sentenced to six years in prison and 12 years of probation for the sexual exploitation of a young girl.
William J. Curran IV, 43, pleaded guilty Friday, April 22 to a single count of class A sexual exploitation of a minor and 13 counts of class C possession of sexually explicit materials, both felonies; and five counts of class D possession of sexually explicit materials, a misdemeanor.
The class C and D crimes refer to Curran’s possession of child pornography. The difference between the felony and misdemeanor counts is the age of the child or children in the materials — under 12 in class C crimes, under 16 in class D crimes.
Curran was sentenced to 15 years in prison with all but six years suspended, plus 12 years of probation, for the class A crime. He received the maximum five-year and 364-day sentences for the other crimes. He will serve the sentences concurrently.
The charges in both cases stem from an investigation by the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
The computer crimes unit executed a search warrant “in search of evidence of child pornography” and seized “numerous” items at Curran’s home in Whitefield on April 9, 2015, according to court documents. Curran was not arrested or charged at the time.
A review of the items by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office revealed a video of Curran and a young girl.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office executed a second search warrant at the home Nov. 9, 2015 and arrested Curran on the class A charge.
According to his indictment, Curran, “knowing or intending that the conduct would be photographed, did intentionally or knowingly employ, solicit, entice, persuade, use, or compel” a girl under the age of 12 “to engage in sexually explicit conduct.”
He committed the crime in Whitefield on Sept. 10, 2011.
Curran was arrested again on Jan. 11, shortly after state police completed their investigation and charged him with 18 counts of possessing child pornography.
Curran is in custody at the Maine State Prison in Warren. Recent court documents list his address in Pittston.
His probation conditions prohibit contact with children, prohibit contact with the victim, require counseling and treatment for sexual-offender issues, and subject him to random searches for internet-capable devices.
If he violates probation, he could return to prison for up to nine years, the suspended portion of his sentence. He must also pay $555 in fines.
Waldoboro attorney Philip Cohen represented Curran.