A Norridgewock man who was a special education teacher for two years in Wayne pleaded not guilty Friday to a federal indictment charging him with six child pornography offenses, three of which carry minimum 15-year sentences.
Patrik Ian Arsenault, 27, has been jailed since August on state charges of sexually assaulting and sexually exploiting two boys this summer. A separate complaint in federal court charged him with sexual exploitation of the same boys.
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However, an indictment earlier this month by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Bangor charges Arsenault with three counts of producing child pornography related to sexual exploitation of three boys this summer as well as one count each of transportation, receipt and possession of child pornography.
At Arsenault’s arraignment Friday, he agreed to be held without bail. An order by U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret Kravchuk ordered him detained and indicated he would be released from state custody and would be in federal custody shortly.
On Tuesday, Arsenault remained in the Kennebec County jail.
Arsenault, who was arrested in late August, told Department of Homeland Security investigators that he had assaulted two boys, ages 6 and 7, in Belgrade, and had traded child pornography via email for a year, according to court documents. The boys live in Clinton, according to court records.
Conditions of bail on the state charges prohibit him from contact with a Clinton family.
Arsenault worked as a special education teacher for at least two years at the Wayne Regional Autism Program in Readfield-based Regional School Unit 38 before he resigned in June, according to school board minutes. The program was at Wayne Elementary School.
Arsenault, whose first name is sometimes spelled Patrick, was supposed to start work as a special education teacher this school year at the W.G. Mallett Elementary School in Farmington but was fired prior to starting, according to school district officials there.
It does not appear that the alleged victims were students of Arsenault.
Each of the federal charges of production of child pornography carries a minimum sentence of 15 years, the child pornography transportation and receipt charges carry five-year minimum sentences, and the possession charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The indictment also carries an allegation seeking forfeiture of any child pornography depiction and property used to commit the alleged offenses.
The list contains two Apple laptop computers; two hard drives; an Apple iPad and iPod; four cameras, including a video camera; and three cellphones, as well as memory cards and memory sticks. The items were seized Aug. 21 under a federal search warrant.
Attorney Donald F. Brown, who represents Arsenault, said Tuesday that he expects the federal charges to be dealt with before the state charges, a case in which Arsenault is represented by Walter McKee. Brown said Arsenault’s federal trial is set for December, with jury selection scheduled for Dec. 3. However, Brown also said he had yet to receive discovery materials in the case.
The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew McCormack.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
badams@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @betadams
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