Lincoln County Deputy Accused Of Sexual Assaults Placed On Leave Without Pay

A Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy accused of sexually assaulting three young girls has been placed on indefinite unpaid leave.

Kenneth Hatch III, 46, of Whitefield was placed on paid administrative leave after he was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual abuse in June.

Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett announced the change in Hatch’s status on Monday, according to the Bangor Daily News.

Brackett said Hatch will remain on unpaid leave until the department's internal investigation is complete. That investigation is pending the conclusion of the Maine attorney general’s criminal investigation.

Hatch was indicted on 11 counts of sexual abuse of a minor, three counts of unlawful sexual contact and eight counts of aggravated furnishing of marijuana. The drug charges stem from allegations that Hatch provided marijuana to two of the alleged victims.

The first alleged sexual assault occurred in September 1999 when the first alleged victim was less than 14 years old.

The second alleged victim, who was 14 or 15 years old at the time, was allegedly sexually assaulted in 2001 and 2002.

And the sexual assaults against the third victim allegedly began in 2004 when she was 6 years old.

Hatch will make his initial court appearance on Aug. 23 in Knox County Unified Court in Rockland.