AUBURN — An Auburn Middle School basketball coach has been accused of having sex with 13- and 14-year-old girls who police said lied to him about their ages.

Dyllan St. Peter Androscoggin County Jail

Dyllan St. Peter, 19, was arrested this week on a charge of gross sexual assault, according to Detective Nathan McNally of the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigator said St. Peter had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl, the latter who provided an AI-generated birth certificate to convince St. Peter she was 16 years old.

St. Peter, who was employed at Fairview Elementary School as an after-school care provider, was initially jailed with bail set at $25,000. However, after making a court appearance earlier in the week, his bail was lowered to $5,000.

The case involves sexual encounters between St. Peter and the girls starting late last year and continuing into early 2025, McNally said.

He said St. Peter contacted the girls online through Snapchat and both claimed to be 16 years old.

St. Peter had sex with the 14-year-old over a period of days, according to McNally, before she blocked him on social media.

When St. Peter went to speak to the 13-year-old about it, police said, he began having sexual relations with her as well, believing her to be 16 years old.

On New Year’s Eve, according to McNally, three people — including the 13-year-old’s sister — informed St. Peter that the girl he was having sex with was underage.

St. Peter confronted her about it, telling her that if she was actually 13, his “life was over,” McNally said.

“And she gets back to him a couple hours later with an AI-generated birth certificate that’s on white paper,” the detective said. “It’s not an authentic document.”

Nonetheless, police said, St. Peter was convinced by the document. He downloaded it to his phone and, in spite of people continuing to insist the girl was 13, he continued having a sexual relationship with her, McNally said.

Eventually, the detective said, the girl told an older sibling about her relationship with St. Peter and the matter was reported to the Sheriff’s Office.

McNally questioned St. Peter and ultimately charged him with gross sexual assault.

The charge is the result of St. Peter’s alleged relationship with the 13-year-old.

According to Maine law, a person younger than 14 cannot legally consent to sex, so the matter is considered sexual assault.

The detective also considered the fact that St. Peter continued his relationship with the girl even after being told by several people that she was, in fact, 13 years old.

McNally said it was the first time in his career he has investigated a sex crime that involved an AI-generated birth certificate.

By Thursday afternoon, St. Peter was released from Androscoggin County Jail on bail.

At the middle school, St. Peter had been an assistant basketball coach for the boy’s expansion team. Auburn Schools Superintendent Sue Dorris said Thursday afternoon that St. Peter is no longer working as a coach or in any school programs.

St. Peter is a former actor with the Edward Little High School Drama Club, according to Sun Journal archives, and is presently going to school to pursue a teaching career.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to remove the officer’s reference to “consensual.” In Maine, a person younger than 14 cannot legally consent to sex.