Interim Police Chief F. Heath Gorham: “Crimes like these are especially traumatic for the victim….” Gorham is Serving as Interim Police Chief Because Chief Clark is Leaving This Post to Work for WEX
Benjamin Conroy, 32, of Portland, was arrested yesterday and charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (Class A) Dissemination of Sexually Explicit Material (Class B), Possession of Sexually Explicit Material (Class C) and Unlawful Sexual Contact, a Class D Crime by Portland Police.
When it was determined that Conroy was an employee of the Portland Public Schools, he was placed on administrative leave. Conroy is currently being held at York County Jail on $25,000. cash bail and has received a summons to appear in court according to a press release issued by the Portland Police Department today.
Conroy, who has been employed at the Ocean Avenue Elementary School since August, had been an ed tech in the autism Beach program; Beach K-1 classroom according to a October 14 letter from Portland Public School Superintendent Botana to the “Portland Public Schools Community.”
“Crimes like these are especially traumatic for the victim and their family, the investigating officers and our community as a whole,” said Interim Chief Heath Gorham. “This arrest would not have been possible without the assistance of the citizen who first reported the troubling images to us and for the witnesses that stepped in to help the female victim who screamed for help.”
“What we understand has occurred is contrary to our top priority of ensuing all our students are in a safe and supportive environment at all times when they are in our care,” said Xavier Botana, Superintendent of Portland Public Schools. “In addition to assisting law enforcement with their investigation, we are also conducting our own internal investigation to determine what occurred and to understand any changes we should put in place. We are committed to conducting a full review and doing everything in our power to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.”