VASSALBORO, Maine — A Wayne man is facing charges for allegedly sexually exploiting a minor.
On Jan. 4, Kennebec County Sheriff's Deputy Nathan Johnson, the school resource officer for Maranacook Community School, started an investigation into a complaint about the alleged sexual exploitation of a minor involving a 14-year-old girl at the school, the sheriff's office said in a news release Thursday.
The suspect, 29-year-old William Smith of Wayne, was allegedly contacting the victim through social media. According to deputies, Smith was "requesting photos and threatening her with consequences if she did not comply."
However, Smith was unaware that he was actually communicating with a Kennebec County sheriff's deputy at the time, the release stated.
Deputies said in the following days, Deputy Johnson received assistance from the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit, United States Marshals Service, and the Maine Violent Offender Task Force.
On Wednesday, Smith was arrested without incident at a Vassalboro home by members of the U.S. Marshals Service, Maine Violent Offender Task Force, and Kennebec County Sheriff's Office
Smith was arrested on warrants charging him with Class B sexual exploitation of a minor and Class C solicitation of a child for commercial sexual exploitation.
Smith's bail was set at $5,000 cash, according to the release.
