By Michael Shepherd - March 28, 2022
Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up.

What we're watching today

The legal jeopardy has only begun for the former gubernatorial candidate who reportedly admitted to possessing child pornography. The Friday arrest of former two-time gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler on four child pornography charges may have kicked off one of the most stunning downfalls in Maine political history. The wealthy lawyer who was an aide to Sen. Edmund Muskie and President Jimmy Carter was booked into the Ellsworth jail that afternoon. Cutler bailed out on Saturday, thereby avoiding a Monday court appearance that his attorney can now handle for him.

Hancock County District Attorney Matthew Foster said Cutler admitted to police who showed up at his Brooklin home on Wednesday with a search warrant that they would find illegal images. He also alerted his wife to that while authorities were there, according to Foster. Cutler's lawyer, Walter McKee, said Friday that the prosecutor's account of the search was "all news to me" because he had not been presented with the information yet.

The investigation that ensnared the 75-year-old Cutler lasted roughly two months, according to the Maine State Police. But Foster said the first tip related to the former candidate came on Dec. 1 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a group that often drives tips in these types of cases. Paul Rucha, an assistant Maine attorney general who one prosecutor called the state's "go-to" expert on these crimes, helped draft the warrants.

These charges are likely just the first for Cutler. Police seized electronic devices and their full investigation will take months, said state police spokesperson Shannon Moss. Foster said his office will levy more charges over time and he also expected Cumberland County prosecutors to prepare charges after Cutler's Portland home was also searched. Federal authorities could also come in sooner or later because images are often traded across state lines.

The next few weeks will frame the scope of the case against Cutler. We are expecting the first court accounts of the searches to be released sometime this week. It is looking at first like a methodical case designed to put as much pressure as possible on Cutler and his legal team.

News and notes

— High workloads are still plaguing Maine's child welfare office, according to a new report released Friday by the Legislature's watchdog committee. It found 20 vacancies out of 150 caseworker positions. But even without vacancies, the office would be 33 caseworkers short of optimally handling current caseloads. This was the second of three reports on the system to be released by the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability this year.

— The Legislature's appropriations committee continued to settle on pieces of Gov. Janet Mills' nearly $1.2 billion surplus spending proposal, taking unanimous Friday votes to secure behavioral health and county jail funding in any final deal. (The panel broke to celebrate the 75th birthday of Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville. His words of wisdom upon reaching the milestone were: "Keep your nose clean, keep your faith strong and eat well.")

🗞 The Daily Brief is made possible by Bangor Daily News subscribers. Support the work of our politics team and enjoy unlimited access to everything the BDN has to offer by subscribing here.

What we're reading

— Construction and material delays are hammering all sorts of projects, even those from people with money and the best-laid plans. That would describe former HospitalityMaine CEO Steve Hewins. He and his wife had to live 22 different places before moving into their dream retirement home in Rangeley.

— Air and water quality in Belfast was being monitored after a Thursday fire destroyed the Penobscot McCrum potato processing factory. Federal authorities are watching the perimeter of the waterfront site for chemicals. The estimated 12,000 pounds of ammonia at the factory were cause for concern early on, but state officials have said it has been appropriately dealt with.

— Nobody knows how many gallons of "forever chemicals" are regularly released into Maine waters. Public water utilities must test sources for PFAS by the end of 2022, but there is no testing requirement in place now.

📱Want daily texts from me tipping you to political stories before they break?
Get Pocket Politics. It is free for 14 days and $3.99 per month if you like it.

Follow along today

1 p.m. Only the budget committee is working in the Maine Legislature today as it plows through work on Mills' spending proposal. Watch here.

💰 Want to advertise in the Daily Brief? Write our sales team.

📷 Lead photo: Eliot Cutler is shown in one of two jail booking photos released after his Friday arrest on four charges of possessing child pornography. (Photo courtesy of the Hancock County Jail)

Clarification: Rep. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth, a candidate in a special Maine Senate election in June, co-sponsored a carbon tax measure in 2019. She later voted against it when the energy committee killed the bill. A Friday newsletter item mentioning her co-sponsorship did not note the vote.

Copyright © 2022 bangordailynews, All rights reserved.
You're receiving this email because you opted in at our website, or because you subscribed to the Bangor Daily News.

Our mailing address is:

bangordailynews

1 Merchants Plz

Bangor, ME 04401-8302

Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.