UPDATE: Hancock County Jail reports that Eliot Cutler has posted bail and has been released from the Hancock County Jail.
HANCOCK COUNTY (WGME) — The Hancock County District Attorney has confirmed that two-time failed gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler has been charged with four counts of unlawful sexually explicit material.
A Maine State Police spokesperson confirmed that Cutler was arrested around 4 p.m. Friday at his home in Brooklin.
Hancock County District Attorney Matthew Foster says the explicit material featured children under the age of 12.
Maine State Police searched two homes that tax records say belong to Cutler on Wednesday as part of a two-month investigation.
In 2010, Cutler finished within 2 percentage points of winner Paul LePage.
In 2014, Cutler finished with 8 percent of the vote, while Democrat Mike Michaud won 43 percent of the vote to LePage’s 48 percent.
Many political experts credit Cutler’s strong showings as an Independent candidate for the basis behind Maine adopting ranked-choice voting.
On Wednesday, Cutler resigned from the Lerner Foundation board, citing personal reasons.
The executive director for the Lerner Center released a statement Friday night.
“We were deeply disturbed to learn about the serious accusations brought against Eliot Cutler today. In his former role on the board of directors, Eliot was involved in high-level strategy and governance and did not directly interface with students who participated in grant funded program.”
More charges are expected in this case.
Each count of unlawful sexually explicit material carries a sentence of up to 10 years.
Cutler’s bail was set at $50,000 and he is expected to make a court appearance early next week.
