A former Brunswick town councilor accused of possessing child pornography reached a deal with prosecutors in which he faces a lesser charge and could avoid jail and a fine.
Christopher Watkinson (left) and his attorney, William Bly, at a hearing in Lewiston District Court. Jason Claffey / The Times Record
Christopher Watkinson, 44, in 2022 was charged with possession of sexually explicit material of a minor under 12, a felony, and possession of sexually explicit material, a misdemeanor, after police said he accessed sexual images of a girl on his computer. Last year, he pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carried up to six years in prison and $7,000 in fines if he was convicted.
On Friday in Lewiston District Court, Watkinson agreed to a plea deal in which the felony charge was dropped. On the misdemeanor charge, he entered an Alford plea of guilty, while maintaining his innocence. He agreed to undergo counseling and have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 10 for the next 12 months, at which point the misdemeanor charge will be dropped if he avoids new criminal charges. Watkinson will then face a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child and plans to enter a no-contest plea, which would result in a conviction but no jail or fine, according to the deal.
In a statement after Friday’s hearing, Watkinson denied any wrongdoing but said he agreed to the deal due to financial strain.
“I am simply out of money,” he said. “This has cost my family $140,000 to date and 80% of my household income after I resigned from my employment. The prolonged damage my family has endured due to the public nature of the (district attorney’s) frivolous pursuit can no longer be endured.”
Watkinson was elected to the Town Council in 2017 and reelected in 2020. After he was charged, he resigned. He also resigned from his job as technical director and music lecturer at Bowdoin College.
His attorney, William Bly, said the deal was in his client’s best interest.
“Everyone has their limits,” Bly said. “The state has boundless power, unlimited resources in the form of district attorneys to prosecute cases (and) police officers who I think overstepped their bounds.
“One person only has an attorney and the ability to fund that defense at this point. Were he able to, he would continue to fight this charge.”
Assistant District Attorney Nathan Walsh said there is “sufficient evidence” that would have proven Watkinson was guilty of the misdemeanor charge of possession of sexually explicit material had the case gone to trial. A Cumberland County judge recently agreed to transfer the case to Androscoggin County at the request of Bly, who claimed media coverage made it impossible for Watkinson to get a fair trial in Cumberland County.
In his statement, Watkinson provided his account of the events that led to his charges.
“In June 2021, I discovered some concerning images online that I thought might warrant further action by law enforcement. I did not download this material. Feeling compelled to take action but not knowing the best way to proceed, I took a screenshot to forward to the appropriate agency, and attached it to a draft email. A short time later, Yahoo bots deleted my email account, and I could no longer access the email in question for follow-up.
“Simultaneously, a live-in family member had a serious heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. In the ensuing chaotic days and weeks, we focused on establishing a stable and calm household in order to bring the family member back to health, and the email matter lost priority. I reached out to Yahoo to restore access, but believing Yahoo had closed my account and the information couldn’t be recovered, I moved on.”
Yahoo reported the images to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit the following month executed a search warrant at Watkinson’s home, where they confiscated 21 electronic devices and thumb drives.
Watkinson was indicted more than a year later in November 2022.
“The figures that should be asked to answer for their actions are Cumberland County DA Jackie Sartoris and the Maine State Police detectives,” Watkinson said. “I am looking ahead to next steps and intend to hold those responsible accountable for such a cruel abuse of our legal system with maliciousness and reckless indifference toward the lives of the innocent.”
Sartoris and state police could not be reached for comment Friday.
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