SKOWHEGAN — A Hartland man was sentenced to serve at least three years in prison for sexually abusing a teenage girl in Canaan on several occasions.
Christopher Todd, 36, pleaded guilty Wednesday to three Class C counts of sexual abuse of a minor.
Per a plea agreement, Todd was sentenced to five years in prison, with all but three years suspended, to be followed by four years of probation.
The partially suspended sentence means Todd could be required to serve the suspended portion of the prison term if he violates the terms of his probation. Conditions include that he has no contact with the girl or any children under 18, except for his own, and that he comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act as a Tier II registrant.
Superior Court Chief Justice Robert E. Mullen accepted the guilty plea and the proposed sentence during a proceeding at the Somerset County Superior Court in Skowhegan.
A monthslong Somerset County Sheriff’s Office investigation led to Todd’s arrest in November, authorities said previously. Todd has since been held at the Somerset County Jail in Madison on $400 cash bail, according to jail records.
A Somerset County grand jury indicted Todd in February, court records show.
Timothy Snyder, first assistant district attorney for Somerset County, said in court Wednesday that the girl reported three incidents of sexual abuse.
The indictment states they occurred between June 1, 2023, and Oct. 31, 2023. She was 15 years old at the time, court records show.
Sheriff’s Office Detective Jeremy Leal later interviewed Todd, who admitted the three instances of sexual abuse occurred and provided details that matched the girl’s account, Snyder said.
The Morning Sentinel does not identify victims of sexual offenses without their consent.
Todd, who appeared in court wearing blue jail clothing and shackled, and his attorney, Thomas Tilton of the Waterville law firm Tilton & O’Donnell, did not object to Snyder’s summary of the case.
The girl was not in the courtroom Wednesday, and nobody addressed the court on her behalf.
Snyder said family members of the girl told prosecutors early on in the case that they made statements to police during the investigation and did not wish to speak further, leaving it to the district attorney’s office to handle the case without their input.
Prosecutors’ efforts to reach the family more recently were unsuccessful, Snyder said.
Todd has no prior criminal record, Snyder said.
