Matthew Clark, 59, of Somerville, was convicted of two counts of Possession of Child Pornography on Thursday in U. S. District Court in Portland Jan. 27.
The investigation by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigation Division began when photos and other items were found in Clark’s bedroom during a Jan. 19, 2008, search of the Clark home by State Animal Welfare investigators. The original search was focused on complaints filed against Clark’s mother, Fern Clark, who operated a kennel out of the home.
Investigators obtained a second search warrant and subsequently seized three computers, videotapes, cameras, photographs and other material related to child pornography. Clark was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of possessing child pornography in Sept. of 2010.
A forensic examination of the seized computers, by detectives at the Lewiston Police Department, revealed searches for child pornography websites and videos depicting child pornography.
Investigators from other states confirmed the children shown in the pictures and videos were minors and had been victims in cases from those states.
Clark’s criminal record includes:
In 1984, Clark was convicted of three counts of Unlawful Sexual Contact, with a minor under the age of 14, in Knox County Superior Court in Rockland. In that case, Clark was sentenced five years in the Maine State Prison with all but three years suspended and two years of probation. In 1992, Clark had his probation revoked for having contact with minors.
During the investigation, LCSO Det. Robert McFetridge uncovered information on Clark of a conviction that had previously been unknown to the State of Maine.
In 1978, while serving with the U.S. Army in West Germany, Clark was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting three boys ages 8, 10 and 12.
In 1979, Clark convicted in military courts marshal for violation of Uniform Code of Military Justice and sentenced to three years at Fort Leavenworth Military Prison, Kansas. He was dishonorably discharged from the Army and released 1982.
As Clark was not listed on the State of Maine Sex Offender Registry as of 2008, McFetridge immediately contacted the State Bureau of Identification with the information he had uncovered. Clark was then notified of his duty to register and he was properly placed on the registry.
Following his conviction last Thursday, Clark was ordered held at the Cumberland County Jail pending sentencing. Clark faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.
