BANGOR, Maine — Editor's Note: The video above aired in May 2021.
Former Penobscot County Treasurer and Bangor school committee member John Hiatt was charged with possession of child pornography Tuesday as officials continue to investigate Hiatt's harassment charges from last year.
Bangor police say detectives got an additional warrant for Hiatt's arrest in that case and he is now charged with Possession of Sexually Explicit Material of children under the age of 12 years old, a Class C felony. Hiatt is in police custody.
In May 2021, Hiatt was arrested when he allegedly harassed a woman over the internet and by phone, allegedly taking over and manipulating the victim's social media accounts without her permission.
According to the Bangor Daily News, the woman, who dated Hiatt for a time, obtained a protection order against Hiatt on Nov. 13, 2018. According to the BDN, the order remained in place for a year.
According to an eight-page arrest warrant affidavit, the Bangor Police Department charged the 35-year-old on five counts following the 10-day investigation.
- One count of aggravated criminal invasion of computer privacy
- One count of stalking
- One count of theft by unauthorized taking
Two counts of harassment
Hiatt's attorney, Harris Mattson of Silverstein Law in Bangor, said his client is a person with autism, "and for that reason, he sometimes has a hard time understanding the behavior and comments of other people, and likewise I think some people have a hard time understanding his conduct and his statements."
NEWS CENTER Maine spoke to Hiatt in 2019 about his political life and his struggle surrounding autism.
"They didn't think I'd be able to learn to read or write. I was 13-years of age before I learned those skills," said Hiatt.
This is an ongoing investigation.