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Waterville man in jail for possessing child porn

By Amy Calder acalder@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

WATERVILLE — A Water Street man remains in jail awaiting indictment by a grand jury after being arrested Friday for possessing sexually explicit material involving children, according to police.
Brandon Hoag, 34, allegedly downloaded child pornography on a computer belonging to his roommate, according to Sgt. William Bonney.
“He was ultimately charged with a Class B felony, possessing sexually explicit material, and it was of a person that has not, in fact, attained the age of 12,” Bonney said Tuesday.
At the time of his arrest, Hoag was on probation for a prior conviction from Sept. 9, 2009, of  possessing sexually explicit material, he said.
The Maine Computer Crimes Task Force, based at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro, is investigating the computer material, he said.
Bonney said Hoag’s roommate on Friday called police to report being concerned that Hoag was accessing child pornography from his (the roommate’s) computer. The roommate rented a room in Hoag’s house, according to Bonney.
 Police searched the home and seized the computer, which now is in the hands of the Task Force, he said.
The charge of possessing sexually explicit material is a Class B felony in this case because of the age of the children and because Hoag was convicted previously on such a charge, according to Bonney.
He said the Class B felony is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine.
Hoag was at his South End home when police arrived there Friday and he was later taken to the Police Department, where he was arrested and charged, according to Bonney. He said Hoag was cooperative.
“He was transported to Kennebec County Jail on a probation hold and it’s expected that he will be indicted in the next grand jury (in Kennebec County Superior Court, in Augusta),” he said.
Bonney said he did not want to discuss the evidence in the case.
 “I’m pretty comfortable in saying that the investigation led to probable cause to arrest him on that charge and the probation hold.”
Bonney said it is important that people know about such cases.
“No local children that we know of were involved,” he said. “This was all done from the Internet.”

Amy Calder — 861-9247
acalder@centralmaine.com