Former student sentenced for sex assault

FARMINGTON – A former student at Carrabassett Valley Academy pleaded no contest and was sentenced to nearly six months in jail for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl at the school.

Matthew Torrie, 20, of Mill Creek, Wash., was found guilty Friday of misdemeanor unlawful sexual contact and assault. He was accused of assaulting the girl in her dormitory room on Jan. 9, 2000. The victim later said that Torrie held her down in her bed. Torrie, who had been drinking, has previously claimed the sex was consensual.

Last year he stood trial for gross sexual assault, and a mistrial was declared when the jury failed to agree on a verdict.

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court later allowed prosecutors to go forward with misdemeanor charges, despite arguments by Torrie’s lawyer that they subjected him to double jeopardy. In court Friday, the victim, who is from Virginia, had an opportunity to address Torrie.

“I will never forgive you for the pain you have not only caused me but my family,” she said.