Judge bars public access to court documents detailing Eliot Cutler's child porn case

Mar. 28—A judge has granted a motion from Eliot Cutler's defense attorney to bar public access to court documents filed in Hancock County.

Cutler, a former two-time candidate for Maine governor, was arrested Friday in Brooklin on four felony charges of possessing photographs and/or videos of child sexual abuse, or child pornography, involving a child under the age of 12. The arrest came two days after Maine State Police executed search warrants at Cutler's homes in Portland and Brooklin.

The 75-year-old was released from Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth on Saturday after paying $50,000 cash bail. Cutler is a multi-millionaire who became wealthy as an attorney with expertise in environmental law.

On Friday, Justice Robert Murray approved a motion by Cutler's defense attorney, Walter McKee, to seal the search warrant, the affidavit and the list of items seized by police when the search warrant was executed.

Police have 10 days after executing a search warrant to file it in court, and they did not file it until Monday morning. By that time, Murray already granted McKee's motion to seal the file. This is an administrative week for court clerks' offices across the state, with the clerks' offices closed to the public from 8 a.m. to noon on weekdays.

Hancock County District Attorney Matthew Foster issued a warrant for Cutler's arrest on Friday, two days after police searched Cutler's home on Naskeag Point Road. When police showed up at the house, officers witnessed Cutler inform his wife, Melanie, that he had child pornography and gave them access to at least one electronic device, Foster has said.

Each count is a Class C felony that, with a conviction, is punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

Whether anything was seized March 23 from Cutler's home on Pine St. in Portland, and when he might face similar charges in Cumberland County, was not clear on Monday.

Cumberland County District Attorney Jonathan Sahrbeck said Monday morning the case was still under investigation. He declined to provide any further information about the investigation, including the legal justification for the warrant on Cutler's home, citing an ongoing case. He said he didn't know for sure when his office would finish investigating Cutler.

The investigation into Cutler began with a tip in December, police said. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children informed Maine State Police that someone in Maine had either downloaded or uploaded a single illegal image.

Bangor Daily News writer David Marino Jr. contributed to this story.

More articles from the BDN