Former Great Say Bay schoolteacher Peter Simonds pleaded not guilty to charges of unlawful sexual contact and unlawful sexual touching during his arraignment in Lincoln County Superior Court Aug. 26.
Simonds, 44, of Nobleboro was indicted by a Lincoln County Grand Jury on 22 counts Aug. 19. Charges include nine counts of unlawful sexual contact and 13 counts of unlawful sexual touching.
Court documents list three victims under Unlawful Sexual Contact and Unlawful Sexual Touching, and four other victims under Unlawful Sexual Touching.
Unlawful Sexual Contact is a Class B crime and Unlawful Sexual Touching is a Class D crime. According to the website of the Office of the Maine Attorney General, Class B crimes are punishable by up to 10 years incarceration and a $20,000 fine; Class D crimes by up to 364 days incarceration and a $2000 fine.
The charges stem from a series of alleged incidents at the school from April 2008 to March 18, 2010.
The father of one of the victims first reported the alleged abuse to Lt. Rand Maker of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office on March 18, shortly after the man’s daughter told her mother of Simonds’ alleged actions. Maker alerted Damariscotta Police Chief Steven Drake.
Drake interviewed Simonds at the school on March 18. Simonds, a Great Salt Bay employee since 1995 and a full-time teacher since 1998, wrote and signed a statement during the interview confessing to inappropriate contact with three of the alleged victims.
Simonds detailed the contact, explained his motivations and expressed remorse in the three-page, handwritten statement.
Simonds’ lawyer, Rick Morse of the Strout & Payson law firm in Rockland, did not return a message seeking comment.
Simonds also faces charges from a July 16 arrest for violation of conditions of bail. Simonds’ bail conditions from the earlier arrest forbid him from contact with children under the age of 16.
Drake and Officer Aaron Beck arrested Simonds at a children’s performance at a drama camp in Newcastle.
According to applicable state law, “A person is guilty of unlawful sexual contact if the actor intentionally subjects another person to any sexual contact and… The other person, not the actor’s spouse, is in fact less than 12 years of age and the actor is at least 3 years older.”
The wording of the applicable law regarding Unlawful Sexual Touching is similar, but refers to victims “less than 14 years of age.”
