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Phillips man sentenced to 10 years for unlawful sexual contact

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Michael Harriman (Photo courtesy of Franklin County Detention Center)

FARMINGTON – A Phillips man received a partially-suspended, 10-year prison sentence Tuesday in Franklin County Superior Court, having previously pleaded guilty to having unlawful sexual contact with two juveniles.

Michael Harriman, 28 of Phillips, pleaded to two counts of unlawful sexual contact, both Class B felonies, on May 7. That arranged plea included a jointly-recommended sentence of 10 years in prison, with all but three years to be suspended, followed by four years of probation. That three-year, unsuspended portion of the proposed sentence will be served consecutive to the four-year sentence Harriman is currently serving out of Androscoggin County.

According to information provided to the court by Deputy District Attorney James Andrews on May 7, both counts relate to Harriman’s conduct against two juveniles in Phillips: one in September 2017 and the other between January 2015 to January 2017. In both cases, Andrews said, the victims would have testified that Harriman had befriended them and purchased them gifts – a process known in the context of sexual abuse as “grooming” – and had then engaged in sexual contact including penetration.

One of the juveniles eventually disclosed the abuse to school counselors, who in turn notified the Department of Health and Human Services, triggering a Maine State Police investigation.

Harriman is already in a Department of Corrections facility, after the state filed a motion to revoke his probation on September 2017. The Phillips man’s probation had been tied to felony burglary and theft by unauthorized taking convictions stemming from an Androscoggin County case back in 2010. Harriman was sentenced on Dec. 29, 2010 to eight years, all but two years suspended, followed by three years of probation, on those two charges. He received a straight, two-year concurrent sentence for a third charge, illegal possession of a firearm.

Sentences of 10 years, with all but three years suspended, followed by four years of probation, were imposed on both counts of unlawful sexual contact on Tuesday. Those sentences will be served concurrent to each other, but consecutive to the four-year sentence on the probation violation. Therefore, the immediate impact of the arranged sentence, as proposed, would have Harriman serving a seven-year sentence, beginning back in September 2017.

Conditions of Harriman’s probation include no contact with children under the age of 18 and no contact to individuals related to the case. He must also undergo sex offender counseling and register in accordance with Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

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14 Comments

  1. 6 years out of 20, out in 4. Why do they even have maximum sentences if those sentences are not to be upheld? Crimes against the person should never be given unto leniency because of the 8th amendment, doing the full bid is not cruel nor unusual, He got 10 years per count, he should be doing 20 years. With his prior actions of thefts and sex offences 2015-2017 his recidivism is almost a certainty he only stopped because he got caught.

  2. Sentenced to ten years….with all but three years suspended!! Captions can be deceiving…no wonder he’s smiling!!

  3. Three years…just three years…for crimes that will likely have life-long effects on his victims.

    And we as a society wonder why criminals are not deterred by the prospect of punishment for their actions?

    Being merciful is one thing, but I would prefer to reserve that for the few repentant souls that regret their actions and are trying to make up for their mistakes.

    This guy? I think the smirk says it all.

  4. Yep,He’ll be out in less than six years to do it all over again.Counseling doesn’t amount to a tinker’s dam,these people don’t change.Meanwhile his victims will probably never be right again.Good job D.A.

  5. If someone has been previously convicted of a crime and received a suspended sentence and they commit another crime they should have to serve the full sentencing of the first crime as well as the second crime. A larger incentive not to commit crimes again

  6. A week or so ago the Bulldog reported that a man in Wilton got 4 years in prison for having a little “nose candy” on him. This happy little pedophile gets about the same sentence for penetrating babies. Maybe its just me, but it the punishment for the crimes doesn’t seem right.

  7. So at 40-50K per year to house, feed, medicate, entertain him on the tax payers dime this trash is being rewarded with a prison sentence that will cost us tax payers over $300.000. He looks like he just won a game show. I have an idea to teach sexual predators like this a lesson. First, ban all electronic devices:phones, cameras, computers, and internet use for life. Second, people guilty of this level crime get a quick snip and stitch or chemical castration and it would cost us less than 10K never raping again… Problem solved. Lets hope the non profits who will be there to help the victims (plural) have the resources to help these kids find resolve and some healing.

  8. Got to love our judicial system – plea deals were designed to coerce major criminals to reveal critical information to catch bigger criminals and/or give locations of loved ones bodies; NOT to get low lifes to confess to reduce the DA’s case load.

  9. Samo, You are headed in the right direction with your comments. I hate the saying “they paid their debt to society” when someone is sent to jail. They go to jail for their CRIME, their debt to society is what it costs to keep them there and they should have to pay that back even if it takes the rest of their lives.

  10. They should make them work! In prison I see jobs on the side of the highway they could be doing! They should have a good tracker injected under the skin while they’re asleep, when I say asleep I mean under a doctor’s control and the thing should be planted deep enough to be fatal if they try to remove it. Then our state would pay less.money in labor to their own employees and they could charge these clowns for EVERYTHING they eat!!!! It’s sad these two and three time offenders get away with things. But a little nose candy is uhoh ….throw the key away!!! There was a story about a fell at FCJ not long ago on the news that was in the same predicament as this clown. He did the right thing!

  11. These folks should never be free. But Thank you to the da office who most likely mad a plea deal…..GREAT JOB Franklin county d a office again!!!

  12. Whew, I read the article and was in disbelief, and reading the comments, all of which expressed my same feelings and thoughts, made me feel that at least I am not alone in thinking that something is wrong with the system –if this young person had actually served his 8 year sentence back in 2010, then he would not have been walking free to molest harm the victims in 2015-2017. This is a no-brainer–don’t suspend his sentence this time, make him serve the full amount!

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