SAD 1 aide charged with sexual abuse Allegations involve three juvenile males

PRESQUE ISLE – A local woman employed by SAD 1 as an educational technician has been charged with three counts of sexually abusing a minor, according to a statement issued Thursday by the Presque Isle Police Department.

Stephanie Arsenault, 25, was issued a summons earlier this week for charges that allegedly involved three juvenile males during the summer of 1999.

Two of the alleged victims were students in Presque Isle, whom she encountered while employed with the school district. The other student was from another unidentified community, according to police.

Arsenault also faces a fourth charge of endangering the welfare of a child, which involved providing alcohol to the same three juveniles as well as to some others, according to investigators.

None of the alleged crimes occurred on school property, according to Presque Isle detective Wayne Selfridge.

The charges are considered Class D misdemeanors, punishable by up to a year in jail. Arsenault is scheduled to appear on Wednesday, March 21, in Maine District Court in Presque Isle. According to police, Arsenault was not arrested on the charges and remains free pending court proceedings.

“As soon as the district became aware of the situation, an investigation ensued, resulting in this employee’s immediate and unconditional resignation from SAD 1,” Dr. Gehrig Johnson, the district’s superintendent, said Thursday.

Last December, Police Chief Naldo Gagnon issued a statement saying that the police department was investigating a school employee for alleged wrongdoing involving children under the age of 15 .

Johnson said that the employee worked as an educational technician, or teacher’s aide, during the school year at Skyway Middle School in Presque Isle and at the Presque Isle High School lunch program during the summer of 1999.

The chief’s announcement and Arsenault’s summons involved the same alleged offenses, according to Carrie Linthicum, assistant district attorney.

Arsenault’s attorney is Jefferson Ashby of Presque Isle.

“I can confirm that my client is charged with four misdemeanors,” Ashby said Thursday. “Out of concern for the alleged victims, my client has asked that I not comment publicly about the case.”

In December, Gagnon said that the case was scheduled to be brought before the Aroostook County grand jury. Since the charges were not felonies, authorities decided, however, to issue a summons rather than seek an indictment, Linthicum said Thursday.

According to the prosecutor, the alleged victims involved one juvenile high school student, whom the defendant encountered while employed in the high school cafeteria.

Another charge involved a middle school-aged pupil Arsenault allegedly encountered while working at the middle school. The third charge involved a male juvenile from another community, according to Linthicum.

The prosecutor said that the alleged offenses were not committed while the defendant was in an official school capacity.

If the offenses had occurred during the school year, the charges would have been elevated to gross sexual assault, a Class A crime that carries a potential 40-year sentence. Under Maine law, if a teacher, employee or other school official has supervisory, instructional or disciplinary authority over a student, a crime involving sexual contact would be a felony.

Linthicum said her office and the police department issued a press release because of the defendant’s position with the district and her apparent influence over the students.

In addition, the case has been the topic of much discussion around the community in recent months.

“People have been calling and calling and wanting to know,” Linthicum said. “That’s the main reason [for the statement].”