Henry A. Eichman, a youth theater group founder already indicted on 18 counts of sexual abuse of children, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two additional sexual abuse charges in Cumberland County.
Eichman, who worked in the drama department at a Brunswick Catholic school and co-founded the Midcoast Youth Theater, now faces 16 counts of sexual abuse in Sagadahoc County and four other counts in Cumberland County. He was indicted this month on the two newest charges by a grand jury. Eichman had already pleaded not guilty to the first 18 charges.
The latest charges allege unlawful sexual contact with a child under the age of 12 and unlawful sexual touching of a student.
Most of the sexual abuse charges involve acts that allegedly took place at his former apartment in Topsham, and include unlawful sexual contact, unlawful sexual touching and “visual aggression against a child,” for allegedly videotaping or photographing children who were partially nude. The four Cumberland County charges relate to acts that allegedly took place at St. John’s Catholic School in Brunswick, where Eichman last September began working with children in an after-school program.
At least two of the Cumberland County acts allegedly occurred on Sept. 8, 2016, the day before he was arrested in Topsham on the 16 Sagadahoc County charges.
Eichman is well known in Topsham and directed dozens of performances of plays involving hundreds of children since the Midcoast Youth Theater was founded about 15 years ago.
The charges shocked those involved in the theater, who said they never saw any signs of inappropriate behavior between Eichman and children involved in the theater group. Court filings indicate that Eichman met the alleged victims through family connections rather than the youth theater.
Eichman’s lawyer, Annie Stevens, said another hearing on the Sagadahoc County charges will be held next week. She said discussions over resolving those charges are “ongoing,” but she doesn’t know if the hearing next week will be anything more than a routine meeting to update a judge on progress in the case.
Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at:
emurphy@pressherald.com
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