July 31, 2012

Maine man charged with raping 4-year-old girl

By BETTY ADAMS / Kennebec Journal

A Sidney man is accused of raping a 4-year-old girl while baby-sitting the child and recording the act on his cellphone.

Eric L. Bard, 22, was arrested Friday and made an initial court appearance via video in Waterville District Court on Monday. A judge increased the initial bail set in the arrest warrant to $100,000 cash.

Bard is charged with gross sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact and sexual exploitation of a minor under 12, police said.

Bard was baby-sitting the child when the offenses occurred, according to an affidavit filed by state police Detective Christopher Tremblay. The affidavit details the investigation by officers beginning in mid-May.

Bard told police on June 19 that there were six computers in his home, all of which could contain child pornography. He allowed police to take the computers for an examination, and police got a search warrant to examine a portable memory device that held pictures of a young girl with Bard.

Bard identified the child and said he baby-sat for her.

The child told police that Bard touched her, went in the shower with her and took photos of her, Tremblay said. Cellphone videos of some of the sexual abuse were found on the memory card, Tremblay's affidavit says.

An analyst with the Mane State Police Computer Crimes Unit determined that most of the images were created from September 2011 to March 2012, according to Tremblay.

 

Kennebec Journal Staff Writer Betty Adams can be contacted at 621-5631 or at:

badams@centralmaine.com

 

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