AUGUSTA — A jury on Tuesday convicted a Vassalboro man on three counts of unlawful sexual contact involving a girl who was 11 to 13 at the time.
Travis Lyon, 37, of Vassalboro, a former corrections officer at the Kennebec County jail and the Maine State Prison, was ordered taken into custody pending a sentencing hearing. He had been free on bail since he was indicted in February.
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Lyon took the stand in his own defense Tuesday in Kennebec County Superior Court and denied any wrongdoing, but jurors deliberated for less than two hours before returning their guilty verdict.
Kennebec County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney, whose office prosecuted the case, said afterward that she appreciated the jury’s hard work and careful deliberation.
“The victim was telling the truth, and the jury believed her,” Maloney said.
Lyon’s defense attorney, William Baghdoyan, said after the trial, “We will just prepare for sentencing and do the best we can.”
The judge requested that both attorneys prepare a sentencing memorandum.
One charge against Lyon is categorized as a class B offense since it describes the victim as being younger than 12 at the time. That carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.
The other two charges are listed as class C offenses, each of which carry a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
Lyon was convicted of sexually touching a girl on several occasions in Vassalboro over a two-and-a-half-year period beginning when she was 11 years old. The victim, now 14, testified Monday that Lyon touched her a number of times and on at least one of those times, three other people were in the same room, and frequently other people were nearby.
According to the indictment against Lyon, which lists three charges of unlawful sexual contact, the offenses occurred March 3, 2011, to Aug. 5, 2013, in Vassalboro.
She said the touching was “inappropriate,” adding: “I wouldn’t know how else to describe it.”
The Kennebec Journal is not identifying the victim because she is a victim of sexual crimes.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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