A Unity man is being held in jail after he was arrested in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a minor in Hartland, police said.
Jesse Harvey
Jesse Harvey, 30, is charged with one count of Class A gross sexual assault, Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon.
Harvey made his initial appearance Monday at Somerset County Unified Criminal Court in Skowhegan, Lancaster said. At the hearing, Harvey’s cash bail was set at $25,000, and he was ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim or anyone younger than 18.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Harvey had not posted bail and was being held at the Somerset County Jail in East Madison, according to the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services referred the alleged sexual assault in Hartland to the Sheriff’s Office on April 1, according to Lancaster. DHHS reported to the Sheriff’s Office that over the past four years, Harvey had sexually assaulted a child who was younger than 16.
Detective Jeremy Leal of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, Lancaster said, and subsequently obtained an arrest warrant for Harvey.
The Waldo County Sheriff’s Office arrested Harvey on Saturday. He was then transferred to the Somerset County Jail.
Harvey is due back in court May 13, Lancaster said.
The district attorney’s office for Somerset County could bring additional charges as it further investigates the case, according to Lancaster.
The sentence for conviction of Class A gross sexual assault varies depending on several factors that are specified in state statute. Class A is the most severe classification of felony-level crimes in Maine.
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