ELLSWORTH, Maine (AP) A former Maine gubernatorial candidate charged with possession of child pornography can get back online, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Attorney Walter McKee attended the initial court appearance on behalf of Eliot Cutler, and he used the opportunity to argue for bail conditions to be amended so Cutler can access the internet.

A judge granted Cutler access to an internet-connected laptop and smartphone if he follows a special monitoring plan.

It was the first court appearance since Cutler was arrested on March 25 at his waterfront home in Brooklin. Cutler, 75, has not been indicted and there was no plea entered on his behalf Tuesday.

Cutler was released on bail after his arrest on four counts of possession of sexually explicit material of a child under 12.

He ran for governor twice as an independent and used his personal wealth to bankroll both campaigns.

In his first campaign, he lost by less than 2 percentage points to Republican Paul LePage in a multi-candidate race. He lost again four years later.