East Boothbay woman charged with disseminating child porn
An East Boothbay woman was in jail and facing felony charges after she allegedly took illicit photos of an underage relative and sent them to a man in South Carolina.
Rachel Anderson, 35, of East Boothbay was arrested October 16 after a months-long investigation that coincided with a South Carolina investigation.
According to the arrest report from Lincoln County Sheriff’s Detective Terry Michaud, Anderson first came to the attention of the Sheriff’s Office in June 2015. According to Michaud's report, Anderson spoke with Deputy Joel Seekins, who had spoken with a therapist who filed a complaint. According to Michaud, he eventually spoke with Anderson who allegedly admitted to being witness to sexual abuse.
According to Michaud, Anderson allegedly told him she had been sending text messages to and exchanging social media messages with Michael McKinney, of Rock Hill, South Carolina. According to the report, Anderson allegedly sent nude photos of an underage relative to McKinney, who in turn allegedly sent back sexually explicit photos of himself and a minor.
On Saturday, June 6, Michaud met with a representative from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and together they spoke with Anderson in East Boothbay.
Anderson had met McKinney through Craigslist, and the two allegedly exchanged photos over a period of three months, including several graphic photos sent by McKinney to Anderson. Anderson allegedly sent the nude photos of a minor in return.
Michaud spoke with officers in Rock Hill, South Carolina who eventually interviewed McKinney. According to the report, McKinney allegedly corroborated Anderson's story and was subsequently charged by the Rock Hill Police.
Eventually, Anderson's computer and cell phone were sent to the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Task Force after a warrant was signed for both to be examined.
On October 2, the results were sent back to Michaud; Anderson's computer and phone allegedly held a combined 19 photos of the underage relative, and more than 70 pornographic movies featuring underage children.
Anderson was arrested Thursday, Oct.15, and charged with three felonies: Class B dissemination of sexually explicit materials, and two Class C charges of possession of child pornography.
Anderson is set to have a disposition conference December 28 at Lincoln County Court House. Anderson was court-ordered to have no contact with McKinney, or any children under the age of 18 and to refrain from going where children may congregate. She was also ordered to have no Internet access, submit to searches and to not possess any device that could connect to the Internet. She was held on $5,000 cash bail at Two Bridges Regional Jail.
If convicted, Anderson could face serious prison time. The maximum sentence for a Class B crime is 10 years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine. Class C crimes, like Class B, are also felonies and carry a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
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