A Newcastle man has been sentenced to 120 days in jail and two years of probation for possessing child pornography.
Robert Ransley, 59, pleaded guilty to a single count of class C possession of sexually explicit materials in Lincoln County Superior Court in Wiscasset Tuesday, Feb. 3, according to court documents. The felony charge indicates materials that depict a child under 12.
In exchange for his plea, the district attorney’s office dismissed the other 19 of 20 charges against Ransley – nine counts of felony possession and 10 counts of class D possession. The misdemeanor charge indicates materials that depict a child under 16.
He was sentenced to three years in custody with all but 120 days suspended, plus two years of probation.
His probation conditions prohibit contact with children under 16 except contact with family members under parental supervision, prohibit internet access and the possession or use of devices capable of internet access, prohibit the possession or viewing of “sexually oriented material,” require sex offender treatment, and subject him to random search.
Ransley will also be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years.
Ransley will report to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset at 6 p.m., Friday, Feb. 6.
Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit Special Agent Justin Kittredge arrested Ransley July 16, 2014.
“His computer was seized earlier this month and an analysis of it by computer technicians showed thousands of images of child porn, but none of the images are believed to be from Maine,” Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said in a press release at the time.
“Ransley is an artist and his paintings are in galleries nationwide,” McCausland said.
A Lincoln County grand jury indicted Ransley Sept. 8, 2014.
The 120-day initial sentence is consistent with sentences for similar crimes in the area, Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Liberman said during the Feb. 3 hearing. A number of factors benefited Ransley in the negotiation of his plea bargain.
The materials were “about as mild as they get in these cases,” Liberman said. Ransley had no prior criminal history and cooperated with law enforcement. He admitted responsibility before the analysis of his computers.
“What we typically do in these cases (is) we charge quite a few counts, and the theory is that that will allow us, if the case goes to trial, to present more of the pictures as evidence, but it’s common that if we can come to an agreement, that we just ask for a plea to one of the charges,” Liberman said after the hearing.
If Ransley had pleaded guilty to more than one of the felony counts, he would have been on the sex offender registry for life.
“In cases where we feel we’re not dealing with an especially dangerous individual,” the office is comfortable with a single charge and a 25-year registry requirement, Liberman said.
“We have no reason to believe he is a particularly high-risk individual at this time or he is a danger to the public at this time,” Liberman said.
