Two-time gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler was arrested at his home in Brooklin on Friday and is charged with four counts of possession of sexually explicit material of a minor under 12, Maine State Police said in a press release.
Cutler was arrested by the Computer Crimes Unit and is being held at Hancock County Jail on $50,000 bail, according to the press release.
Two homes that are owned by Cutler — one in Portland and the other in Brooklin — were searched by police on Wednesday.
Hancock County District Attorney Matthew Foster told WGME he expects more charges to be filed against Cutler. He is expected to appear in court next week. Cutler is being represented by prominent attorney Walter McKee, who would not comment on Friday.
Cutler twice ran for governor as an independent, coming closest to winning in 2010, where he lost by two percentage points to Republican Gov. Paul LePage. In 2014, he placed third with 8.4% of the vote.
The Bangor Daily News reported on Friday that Cutler resigned as president of the board of directors at the Lerner Foundation, a nonprofit specializing in getting rural Mainers to attend college.
Cutler, 75, worked for former U.S. Sen. Ed Muskie, was associate director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Jimmy Carter and worked for years as an environmental lawyer. Before resigning in 2017, he worked for the University of Maine System creating a new graduate center.
(Update: this story has been updated to clarify one of Cutler’s previous affiliations.)
