Staff Writer
MARS HILL — An international investigation that began in England involving child pornography has resulted in the June 12 arrest of a Mars Hill woman, identified as 30-year-old Julie Carr.
Photo courtesy of ACSO
Julie Carr
According to Det. Sgt. John Cote, Maine State Police Criminal Investigation Division III, Carr was arrested and charged with gross sexual assault after an investigation with “international ties.”
“Carr was arrested late Friday night at her residence on Mountain View St. after State Police detectives and agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency executed a search warrant at the home,” said Cote.
The investigation began late Friday afternoon when State Police investigators were contacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with information detailing an ongoing investigation into child pornography on the Internet, said Cote.
“I.C.E. agents had been contacted by investigators from the West Midlands Police in the U.K. During an investigation into child sexual abuse, U.K. investigators had discovered recorded videos in which a woman was committing sexual acts on a young child,” explained Cote.
Subsequent interviews and investigation in the U.K. revealed the United States was the likely origin of the videos which had been recorded from a live Web-cast.
“Early efforts by the U.K. authorities had pointed to Mars Hill as the likely point of origin,” Cote said.
Noting that the most recent video appeared to have been broadcast within the last few days and citing a concern for the safety of the children in the video, a consensus was reached that moving forward with state-level charges was the most timely option.
“State Police detectives and I.C.E. agents began efforts to confirm the identity of the woman in the video. Investigators worked closely with Aroostook County District Attorney Neale Adams and caseworkers from the Department of Health and Human Services, gathering known information about the suspect,” said Cote.
Information, including a photograph of Carr on file with the Maine Department of Motor Vehicles, appeared to confirm the woman in the video from the U.K. was indeed Carr, Cote said.
Additional information was gathered and used in developing the case.
“Investigators also pieced together information gained from several sources on the Internet to further confirm Carr was the woman in the video. State Police Detective Darrin Crane prepared an affidavit and secured a search warrant for the Carr residence,” said Cote.
State Police, I.C.E. and M.D.E.A. investigators executed the search warrant at approximately 8:25 p.m. on Friday night and recovered multiple items of evidence related to the crime.
“Carr was arrested and transported to the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton to await her first court appearance,” said Cote.
Carr appeared via video conference before Justice Kevin M. Cuddy in Caribou Superior Court on Monday, June 15, on charges stemming from her arrest on Friday.
“No plea was entered, but Carr was informed of the charges against her and was presented with an application to seek a court-appointed attorney,” said Cote.
According to Cote, Carr faces at least one additional charge.
“In addition to the original charge of gross sexual assault, Carr has been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor. Both crimes are Class A felonies, with a maximum incarceration period of 30 years,” said Cote.
Cote said Carr will likely face charges on both the state and federal level, as investigators continue their investigations.
Deputy D.A. Carrie Linthicum said Carr has no criminal record in the state.
“We’ve found nothing on her so far,” said Linthicum.
According to District Attorney Neale Adams, Carr is married.
“She’s married but her husband wasn’t home at the time of her arrest,” said Adams. When asked if Carr had any children, Adams refused to comment.
An official at the Mars Hill Town Office indicated Carr had only been a resident in the community for a short time but did not know where Carr might have lived previously.
Mars Hill Superintendent Roger Shaw said Carr had no children registered in the school system.
Carr was ordered held pending a case status hearing slated for September 18, unless she is indicted before that date. Carr’s bail was set at $50,000 cash or $100,000 surety, with several conditions, should she manage to meet the bail requirements. Those conditions include having no contact with anyone under the age of 18. Carr was represented at Monday’s hearing by Attorney Jeff Pickering of Houlton.
