FARMINGTON – A 29-year-old former Chesterville man will spend the next 15 years in prison followed by 30 years of state supervised release after he pleaded guilty to sexually molesting three boys over the last few years.
Jonathan M. Clark, most recently of Lovell when he was arrested in April 2014, pleaded guilty in Franklin County Superior Court on Wednesday to 10 counts of Class A gross sexual assault. He admitted to sexually molesting the three boys, all of whom were under the age of 14 at the time. Clark pleaded guilty to sexual offenses that took place between Jan. 1, 2012 and March 14, 2014, at locations in Farmington, Chesterville and Wilton.
He was originally indicted in July by a grand jury on 29 counts of Class A gross sexual assault, four counts of Class C unlawful sexual contact, one of Class B charge of sexual exploitation of a minor; a Class C charge of distribution of sexually explicit material and a Class C sexual abuse of a minor.
In court on Wednesday, 26 of those charges were dismissed in exchange for Clark pleading guilty to 10 Class A gross sexual assault crimes.
The case began with a series of interviews with the victims that took place in late March and early April, conducted by Department of Health and Human Services and The Children’s Advocacy Center personnel. In those interviews, sexual acts involving Clark were described by the boys, according to the police affidavit. Clark was arrested in Oxford County on April 3, 2014 by the Maine State Police.
In court, the father of the three victims who was heard sobbing at times during the proceeding, asked Judge Susan Oram to “disregard” the plea agreement because it was too lenient.
“It’s a slap in the face of the victims of this state,” he said emotionally. “He’s not being held responsible….”
The victims’ mother described the severe psychological damage her boys have endured because of Clark and asked for the maximum sentence allowed under the law. She called him “heartless and cruel” and that he “betrayed my trust and the trust of my boys.”
She said to this day one of her sons blames her for not protecting him and still refuses to speak to her. The boys “have nightmares and won’t sleep in their room. A bed is no longer a safe place,” she said and added, “instead they sleep on the floor.”
“How do I make them them feel comfortable again? They need to know he is in prison, locked up in a cage … He needs to pay.”
One of the victim’s case manager said the child is showing an increase in trauma-related behavior such as taking risks and refusing to attend school. She sees an increase in distrust towards adults and said he told her he wanted Clark to “be severely punished.”
With the three victims present in the courtroom behind him and an order to have no contact with them, Clark stared straight ahead and said quietly, “I want to apologize to the victims and their family for everything I’ve done to hurt them and everybody. I’m truly sorry.”
After hearing statements from the victims’ parents, case manager and others who wrote letters, Judge Oram said before sentencing Clark, “damage has been done to some of the most vulnerable in our community.”
Aggravating factors to determine the sentence were the young ages of the boys and the length of time the offenses occurred, she said. Mitigating those were that Clark had no prior criminal record, that he took responsibility immediately when confronted with the accusations and later agreed to plead guilty instead of going to trial, which Oram noted, “spared the children a certain amount of trauma.”
For the count 25 charge of gross sexual assault, she ordered 25 years with all but 15 years in prison suspended with the other nine charges of gross sexual assault to run concurrently with count 25. Also ordered was 30 years of supervised release. “That’s 45 years under the control of the Department of Corrections,” she said, which “will provide the community with the protection it needs. Should he violate the conditions of his release he would be ordered to serve 30 years, she added.
Conditions of release include sexual assault counseling, never be allowed to be with any child under the age of 16 without supervision, no contact with the named victims in this case and he cannot possess sexual material on electronic devises.
better castrate him to make sure if he does have contact with a child,,things will be different
I’am sorry but Mr. Clark should have received the full sentence. These poor boys are now traumatized for life. My thoughts and prayers go out to these young boys and that they get all the help that they need. It make me angry that someone would harm children. Mr. Clark you say that you are sorry ya right, your monster.
Good job Judge Oram. Still not the penalty I would have imposed but as good as it gets in our liberal society. Thank you.
“‘Judge Oram said before sentencing Clark, “damage has been done to some of the most vulnerable in our community.”‘ And yet she suspended 10 years?
My heart goes out to the victims and their families. 15 years is not long enough for what this man did to these children. Clark was not some teenager hurting children (which is bad enough) he is a grown man that knows better and none of the charges should have been dropped just because he confessed and pleaded guilty. What is wrong with our “justice” system???? We are only going to see more and more of these sex crimes against children because there is little or no punishment.
Again, I am so very sorry for all the victims — please reach out and get the help you need to deal with this and always remember that this was a crime against you — you did nothing wrong!
“30 years if supervised release…” Yeah, right!
I look at the conditions of the release, 1 violation listed on his conditions sends him back to Jail for 30 years. So while I hope the Jail sets him straight, same time I hope he screws up after his release.
To the Family of the Victims, I hate to see you going through this, no Family should ever have to go through this. My heart breaks for you. I also hope in time, through counseling, and other healthy avenues that your able to come together again.
My prayers to the Victims and Family.
Clark should be in jail for life. This type of abuse affects the victims for life. No child should ever be abused like this ~~ not ever. Hope the boys will get help they desperately need, now. Talk, talk and talk about it. Get it out. Make Clark pay for years of therapy it will take to help the families and the boys. Dorothy
My prayers go out to the boys and their families. However the sentence imposed is not long enough. He should have gotten life. Sexual abuse hurts a child for the rest of their life even with counseling the trauma never goes away I speak from experience and understand what they have been and still are going thru even though the abuse has stopped. Time for the court system to give out much longer sentences in these cases.
I personally think crimes against children should hold the harshest penalties. They are the future of our world, aand deserve to be given the love, care, guidance and respect they need to become functioning adults. Clark ruined that for these poor boys. I just hope that the family can get the help they so desperately need to heal, and that these boys can overcome this horror they have been put through. 15 years is not enough to keep this monster out of their lives. When these boys are in their early to late twenties, they may have to face him on the streets again. Just a chance visit to a store he is in could send them spiraling again. Clark should be locked up for good, as with all other monsters like him.
I agree with Dorothy and Marge. This animal should NEVER see the light of day again!
Well said “Commenter”.
They want to bring back death penalty n Maine, for sex crimes against minors resulting in murder. I say death penalty for ANY sex crime against children!!!
Prayers for the family/victims. Little does he realize what will most likely happen to him once his co inmates find out why he is there!!
My opinion, you could not have said it any better….Death penalty
Will never condone the behavior and theses acts must be punished.
The abuser was most often the abused.
He should get the full amountof the sentence that is just wrong
This “person” (Clark) isn’t going to be held responsible for anything he has done!! He’ll get special privileges in jail. He’ll have 3 meals daily, a bed , TV, recreation time, access to a library, free health care, and a lot of other stuff that the citizens of Maine are paying for. In a sense, it will be a vacation for him. The prison officials will keep him in solitary confinement so the other prisoners won’t “hurt” him. Where is that making him pay for HIS crimes? Meanwhile, the boys he hurt will suffer for the rest of their lives.
I think this sentence isn’t fair at all, people like that do not get better over night. Those children will suffer for the rest of their lives, while he is fed clothed warm and perfectly okay with what he did. Thing like this needs stricter penalties , maybe even death sentence. The penalty is too lenient, 15 years so he can get out and do it again? He is a horrible man.
I hope Miss Oram reads these columns! Hopefully she won’t be reappointed when this judgeship position comes up again.Actually I think there should be a complete sweep of the current judicial system!
They should bring back PUBLIC HANGING. Hang them in the town square and let them stay there for 3 days. See if that don’t help cure the problem. You’ve tried everything else.
To all of you saying he should DIE! Shame on you. What if he was your son or brother or nephew? Would you want him to die or get the help he needs. He is none of these to me but as I sit here reading all these comments I can’t help but be apalled. Yes he has done wrong but he is a child of God and only God can truly decide his fate. I would like to see him come to know the Father and truly be forgiven by the one who matters. No I am not condoning what this man has done, but who knows what has happened to him to cause this. God Bless You All!
I find what was done to the victims in this case as bad as the rest of the people here do. But, unless we as a State are willing to return to the days of capitol punishment and conduct it in a very timely manner. We as a state must decide to spend an ever increasing share of what we should all realize is most likely going to be a shrinking total state tax dollar value on the prison system. Please do not get me wrong I do not say that it would be a mistake only that we must chose. It has come to a time when we as adults must back up our words with actions, I say what is wrong with hard labor for prisoners, maybe set them to rebuilding our state road ways all done with hand tools, chain gang style. then maybe a 15 year stentanc would be able to deter a crime or 2.
I also think this sentence is not long enough. I also think that these boys, as observed by their parents statements, have great support. This will change them for sure, but they will not suffer the rest of their lives. Because of the support system that they have, they will be ok. I can’t imagine the pain that they all are going through right now, but these parents appear strong.. good for them being there for their kids! Idk either of you but kudos to you for A: not shying away from what happened and B: Doing what it takes for your children! I think you’ll all be ok if you stick together. Bless you.
All of us who suffer in this way are never totally okay! We are abuse survivors. We get triggered and if this had never happened, we would not be like this. Some people who abuse are not able or willing or want to be changed. They revert to the same behavior. And often those who abuse, have many more victims. Just saying.
So your Saying “A Good Christian” It was gods fate he rape children?? Do you actually listen to your self. Yes if he was a relative of mine I would want him to pay for his “sins”. Time for a little population control. I forget that when you have “religion” you can do what ever you want good or bad and repent for your sins and all is forgiven…My bad.
To A.Good.Christian:
Please read your Bible — In God’s word you will find him allowing for the death of those who broke the law. In the Old Testament he even calls for disobedient children to be stoned to death. So please don’t make the death penalty sounds cruel or wrong….I truly believe we would see a lot less of these crimes if we brought it back!