Two-time Maine gubernatorial candidate Cutler charged with child porn

Former Maine gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler bought Amen Farm on Naskeag Point Road in Brooklin in June 2019 for $1.5 million. (Bandor Daily News photos)

BROOKLIN, Maine - Former Maine gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler was charged on Friday with four counts of possession of sexually explicit material of a minor under 12.

Cutler ran as an independent gubernatorial candidate in 2010, narrowly losing to Republican Paul LePage. Cutler ran again in 2014, but garnered just 8 percent of votes.

The Friday arrest came around 4 p.m. when the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit arrived at the 75-year-old's residence at 523 Naskeag Point Road.

Cutler was taken into custody without incident and taken to Hancock County Jail where bail was set at $50,000 cash.

Reports indicate that the charges against Cutler originated from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

State police said a formal investigation into Cutler began around January.