PARIS – An Oxford County grand jury has indicted a former girls’ junior varsity basketball coach on seven sex-related charges involving two girls at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford.
Donald L. Hebert, 33, of Route 120, Rumford, was indicted on three counts of gross sexual assault and four counts of unlawful sexual contact, which police say occurred over about three months early this year.
“I choose not to make a comment at this time,” Hebert said when contacted by phone Friday.
Hebert’s attorney, James Martemucci of Portland, said, “At this stage of these proceedings, I don’t have a comment except to say we are going to schedule him into court for an arraignment fairly quickly to address some of the bail conditions.”
Hebert is free on $800 cash bail. He is not allowed to have direct or indirect contact with either of the two girls or anyone under the age 18, except his own children, according to court records.
Hebert was arrested by Rumford police Detective Lt. Mark Cayer on Sept. 14 and charged with one count of gross sexual assault.
At the time of the arrest, police suspected there was more than one victim and that subsequent interviews with associates, friends and the victims showed that two girls, both 17 at the time, were victimized, Cayer said.
All three counts of gross sexual assault are associated with a single girl, while the charges of unlawful sexual contact involve both girls from February through April 1.
“One of the students he was a coach of,” Cayer said.
Hebert coached girls’ junior varsity basketball at Mountain Valley High School in the 2006-2007 school year. Rumford schools Superintendent Jim Hodkins said Hebert did not return to that post by mutual agreement and before charges were filed against him.
Hebert also was an education technician at Dirigo High School in Dixfield, and is boys’ varsity baseball coach there. He was been placed on paid administrative leave Sept. 17 by SAD 21 in Dixfield.
Cayer said computer evidence was taken from Hebert’s residence and at least one of the schools where he worked. That evidence is being processed by the Computer Crimes Task Force in Lewiston, Cayer said.
Cayer praised both schools for cooperating with police on the investigation and for handling a difficult situation within the education community.
“They showed genuine concern for the students involved and the student population as a whole,” Cayer said.
Hebert has no previous criminal record that would have disqualified him from working within the schools, and school officials would have had no way to predict he was any kind of threat to students, Cayer said.
“They did everything they were supposed to do,” Cayer said.
Hebert had no employment issues with either school system, he said.
Each of the seven charges Hebert faces carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.
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