BANGOR — Eliot Cutler, the former two-time Maine gubernatorial candidate who is charged with possessing child pornography, has asked a judge to allow him to get back online.
Cutler’s attorney asked a judge this week to amend the bail conditions so Cutler can access the internet.
His attorney, Walter McKee, said it’s difficult for someone in this day and age to have a device that’s not connected to the internet, and the attorney suggested allowing Cutler to have access with monitoring, the Bangor Daily News reported.
A hearing is set for May 3, when Cutler is expected to make his first court appearance.
Cutler, 75, was released on bail after his arrest on March 25 at his waterfront home in Brooklin on four counts of possession of sexually explicit material of a child under 12. He posted bail the following day.
The week after Cutler’s arrest, a judge in Hancock County ordered documents related to the arrest and the search of his Brookline home sealed, saying that publicity about the case could imperil Cutler’s ability to get a fair trial. A Cumberland County judge then sealed documents related to the search of Cutler’s Portland home.
In both cases, the documents were ordered sealed until Cutler is indicted by a grand jury or until the initial court appearance on May 3.
Police began investigating Cutler in early December. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children told Maine State Police investigators that someone in the state had downloaded or uploaded an illegal image.
That led to searches of Cutler’s homes – at 84 Pine St. in Portland’s West End as well as at his farm at 523 Naskeag Road in Brooklin, known locally as Amen Farm – and to his arrest two days after the searches.
No charges have been filed against Cutler in Cumberland County, but officials there have said their investigation is continuing.
Cutler ran for governor twice as an independent and used his personal wealth to bankroll both campaigns. He narrowly lost to Republican Paul LePage in 2010 and finished a distant third when he ran again in 2014 and LePage won re-election.
— Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy contributed to this report
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