Penobscot County treasurer indicted on stalking and harassment charges

By Judy Harrison, Bangor Daily News Staff

Penobscot County Treasurer and former Bangor School Committee member John Hiatt was indicted Friday by the Penobscot County grand jury on charges related to his alleged harassment of a female friend.

Hiatt, 38, of Bangor was indicted on one count each of aggravated invasion of computer privacy, a Class C crime; stalking and harassment, both Class D crimes; and theft by unauthorized taking, a Class E crime.

He was arrested on those charges in May and remains free on $5,000 cash bail.

Earlier this month, Hiatt was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography, a Class C crime. He remains free on $1,000 cash bail on that charge. That charge most likely will be presented to the grand jury next month.

Hiatt, a Republican, has maintained his innocence but resigned from the school committee a few days after he was charged a second time. He has refused to resign from the county treasurer’s despite calls for his resignation from all three Penobscot County commissioners and the chair of the Maine Republican Party.

Although Hiatt continues to serve as treasurer, he has missed the last two county commissioners’ meetings without informing anyone that he was not attending. Commissioners in June appointed Finance Director Judith Alexander as deputy treasurer should Hiatt be unable to perform his duties.

Hiatt is next due in court on Oct. 19, when he is expected to enter not guilty pleas to all charges on which he has been indicted. If he opts for a jury trial, it is unlikely to be scheduled before 2022 due to a backlog of criminal cases related to the pandemic.

If convicted of either possession of child pornography or felony invasion of privacy, Hiatt faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. Class D crimes carry a maximum one-year term of incarceration and a fine of up to $2,000, and the maximum sentence and fine for a Class E crime are six months in jail and $1,000.