Although a former state trooper convicted of unlawful sexual contact with a young girl qualifies for state retirement, he missed his early retirement with full pension by one month.

According to a lawyer for the Maine Public Employees Retirement System, 46-year-old Gregory Vrooman came up 30 days short of the 25 years needed to receive a pension under the state police's retirement plan.

Vrooman, a Nobleboro resident, was convicted in April of a number of sex crimes. He is scheduled to be sentenced in Lincoln County Superior Court in Wiscasset on June 25 at 2 p.m.

Despite his convictions, Vrooman will still qualify for state retirement in the future, John Milazzo, attorney for the Maine Public Employees Retirement System, said.

When he turns 62, he will qualify for the retirement system's regular plan. Or, if he gets hired for another state or municipal job that pays into the state retirement system, he could work 30 days and qualify for early retirement. For most positions outside the state police, early retirement comes with a reduced pension.

Vrooman was convicted of four counts each of assault, unlawful sexual touching and unlawful sexual contact, all involving a girl when she was 12 and 13 years old, in 2009 and 2010. He was acquitted of a witness tampering charge.

The unlawful sexual contact convictions are felonies and require him to register as a sex offender. They each carry up to five years in prison. The other eight charges are each punishable by at most a 364-day sentence.

Citing Vrooman's previously clean record, his defense lawyer Steven Peterson has said he plans to ask that whatever time Vrooman gets be served on probation.

Vrooman has remained free on $25,000 unsecured bail, pending sentencing.