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Sexual assault in Gray
By Elizabeth Prata

Gray--On February 13, 2004, Timothy Stanton was arrested for unlawful sexual contact with a minor. Stanton is a registered sex offender, with a previous conviction. His probation stipulated that he was not to come into any contact with youths under the age of 18.

On February 13, however, Stanton beat and assaulted a female youth, and was arrested and taken to Cumberland County jail.

The Maine Sex Offender registry is maintained by the The Maine State Police, State Bureau of Identification, official State agency responsible for the maintenance of the Registry. The registry has been set up pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act (Public Law 1991, chapter 809). Above, Timothy Stanton

There are a wide variety of crimes that require registration. Victims of these crimes include both adults (age 18 and over) and minors (under the age of 18). The state law can be found through the Maine State website, www.maine.gov. Title 34-A MRSA, Chapter 15 has a complete listing of crimes that require registration. The Registry itself can be accessed through the Maine State website, as well.

Initially, Stanton lived in Poland, but moved to Gray. His probation officer while Stanton was living in Poland was Mike Simoneau, who is specially trained to handle a caseload of sex offenders.

Simoneau said that when Stanton moved to Gray, "He went out of our range. There are only 6 of us in the State, and with the intensity of monitoring, we try to maintain a case load of no more than 35. Right now I have 47 cases. I would not have been able to keep Stanton on my case load when he moved to Cumberland County," Simoneau said. When Stanton moved, he was assigned to Joe DeFillipp. DeFillipp is a regular parole officer.

Simoneau explained that when sex offenders are in jail a risk assessment conducted, and when they are released another is usually conducted. The risk assessment looks at factors such as past criminal history, the age of the child involved, the number of times offenses occurred, and how serious the offense. "Not all people who register for the sex offender registry are high risk," DeFillipp said.

Stanton's risk assessment came in at a 4 out of 12 Simoneau said, "Four is considered medium-high risk. But we do have the authority to override the number if factoring in other things. Stanton was considered high risk because of his past history of drug use. He had tested positive for marijuana and while he was living in Poland he also tested positive," Simoneau explained.

However, he said, Stanton had been drug-free for months and had been gainfully employed.

Additionally, the risk assessment usually completed when an offender is released from jail was not conducted. "We used the one done from when he was in prison." Simoneau said. "The information was current and had not changed."

The next step is to notify the local law enforcement agencies, or in Gray's case, because there was no local law enforcement agency, the Cumberland County Sheriffs were notified. "They have 90 days to notify us when they move, but Stanton, and most of them, notify us right away," Simoneau said.

As a high risk to the community, there usually is a protocol that involves informing the residents in the immediate area, although the area to be notified is left up to the individual officer's discretion. Informing residents includes knocking on doors, leaving flyers with contact numbers, fielding concerned calls stemming from the flyer, DeFillipp explained. In Stanton's case, the immediate area was not informed.

There are no restrictions for sex offenders to live near schools, as Stanton was, unless prescribed by the judge. There were no restrictions in Stanton's case, so he was free to live wherever he wanted, according to the law.
Stanton is in Cumberland County jail, he has been denied bail. His hearing is March 17.

Timothy Stanton Convictions
Statute: 17-A MRSA (254)(1)(A)
Offense: Sexual abuse of minor
Case #:CR-02-108
Court: Superior Court Portland
Place of employment: Hotham Lumber Company
Employment Location: 27 Town Farm Rd
New Gloucester, ME 04260
SORA #: 762

 

Common lures, from the Sex offender website
Emergency Lure
"Mommy needs you. Come with me."

Precaution
Teach your child not to believe a stranger who says, "Mommy needs you." Mommy would never send someone you don't know. She would always send a friend. Always have your children check with another adult first before leaving with a stranger.

Bribery Lure
"If you will go with me, I will give you some candy, gum, ice cream, a motorcycle ride, etc."
"Let's play Hide - the - Quarter game. If you find the quarter, you can keep it."

Precaution
Teach your child not to accept gifts from, or go anywhere with people they don't know very well. They should always check with someone they trust first.

Assistance or the Helping Hand Lure
"I have lost my puppy. Will you help me find him?"..."I am looking for a certain house or a certain street. Will you show me where it is?" ... "I have a broken arm. Will you help me carry these books?"
Precaution
Teach your child to never get in anyone's car or go with, anyone without your permission.

Authority Lure
"I am a policeman, and I have been sent to take you to your parents."
Precaution: Clothing and other symbols of authority are easily obtained. Teach your children to ask an adult to help them if a law officer or other person in uniform approaches them.

Flattery Lure
"You are so beautiful. Can I take a picture of you and enter it in a contest in a magazine? I'm sure you'd win."
Precaution
Teach your child not to have other people take their picture without your permission.