Former Maine State Trooper Gregory Vrooman is appealing his conviction on four counts of Class C crime of unlawful sexual contact with a minor, with all but 21 months suspended.
Vrooman, 46, of Nobleboro, was serving with State Police when he was arrested in late 2010.
Following a brief trial, on April 13, 2012 he was found guilty of four counts of felony unlawful sexual contact with a minor, four counts of misdemeanor unlawful sexual touching with a minor, and four counts of misdemeanor assault. He was acquitted of one count of tampering with a witness.
After Vrooman’s attorney stated his intention to appeal the verdict, Justice Jeffrey Hjelm said he was allowing bail in order to ensure access to the full appeals process.
According to a Jan. 11 press report, Vrooman’s attorney Steven Peterson is asking the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, also known as the Law Court, to call for a new trial. The report stated Peterson’s brief claims that evidence of child pornography, found in Vrooman’s home, should not have been shared with the jury.
Peterson’s brief also said three were not enough signatures on an affidavit used to obtain the search warrant.
“The mere fact that the computer may contain images of teenage girls and young women does not support a finding of probable cause,” the report quoted Peterson as stating. The brief states the images of girls aged 16 to 14, dancing provocatively, did not have any relationship to the charges.
According to Lynn Hancock at Maine Public Employees Retirement System, Vrooman was within a month of qualifying for benefits, but had not achieved 25 years of service credit at the time he ceased employment. She said he could earn additional service credit if employed by the state at some point in the future and that benefits would depend on the nature of such a position.
Vrooman was sentenced to five years in prison on four counts of Class C crime of unlawful sexual contact with a minor, with all but 21 months of his sentence suspended. The sentence also requires that he serve probation for four years, following incarceration.
In addition to the sentence for unlawful sexual contact with a minor, Vrooman was sentenced to 364 days for eight counts of the Class D crime of unlawful sexual touching. Those sentences are to be served concurrently.
Vrooman must also pay cash fines on four counts of assault and victims fees on all 12 criminal counts, and must register as a sex offender.
Following sentencing, Vrooman was released on $25,000 unsecured bail, based on his announced intention to appeal the verdict to the Supreme Judicial Court.
In court June 25, 2012 Assistant Attorney General Deborah Cashman requested Vrooman serve consecutive sentences for the 12 counts on which he was convicted, but Lincoln County Superior Court Justice Jeffrey Hjelm said mitigating circumstances influenced his decision.
Vrooman’s crimes took place during a time when he was engaged to his victim’s mother.
On April 13, 2012, just moments before the jury was to deliver a verdict in the Vrooman case, a relative of the victim attacked the defendant. Vrooman suffered severe facial injuries and was removed from the courthouse on a stretcher and taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
William Harrison, 39, of Charleston, Mass., was charged with Class B aggravated assault and is scheduled to be heard by a Superior Court judge on Wednesday, Feb. 6.
