Convicted sex offender John Corbin, 60, of 5 Drako Lane in Windham, is back behind bars after a sentencing Tuesday on charges of child pornography.
Corbin pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of child pornography last month. The guilty plea came more than a year after police seized a computer at his Drako Lane residence containing more than a hundred illicit photos in early 2005.
On Tuesday, a Cumberland County Superior Court judge served Corbin a 7-year prison sentence coupled with 18 years probation for 131 counts of possessing child pornography and one count of distributing pornography.
Corbin remained at his home in Windham while under investigation and awaiting trial. The sentencing comes as a relief to neighbors who have been on guard since they learned of the repeat sex offender living in their neighborhood.
“We’ve tried to keep the neighborhood as safe as possible,” said a neighbor and mother who lived down the street from Corbin who wished to remain anonymous. “We’ve told our children what to be aware of, and we know that our neighbors always have their eyes out for each other’s kids.”
Four years ago, Corbin moved from California to Maine and has been living in Windham since March of 2002. Prior to moving to Maine, Corbin was convicted of “lewd and lascivious acts upon a child under 14 years of age” as well as “indecent exposure” in California.
In court Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Julia Sheridan provided Superior Court Justice Roland Cole with a full transcript of the Internet sting operation that led to Corbin’s arrest.
During the summer of 2004, Corbin chatted online with an undercover detective from Pennsylvania who was posing as a perverted father with several young children. In the online conversation, the detective informed Corbin that these fictional children were “available” if Corbin chose to visit him in Pennsylvania.
The detective then asked Corbin to send him a pornographic photo to prove that Corbin was not an undercover agent himself. Corbin took the bait and e-mailed the detective a photo depicting a five-year-old child engaged in a sex act with an adult male.
The detective alerted Windham police to Corbin’s illicit activities on the Internet. In February of 2005, police searched Corbin’s house and arrested him for possession of child pornography after discovering more than 100 explicit photos on his home computer.
Though the District Attorney’s office was pushing for the maximum 10-year sentence for Corbin’s crimes, Assistant District Attorney Julia Sheridan said she is satisfied with the 7-year sentence and the strict probation Corbin will face after his release.
“It’s a fair sentence,” Sheridan said. “The state’s position is that he’s a dangerous individual and a danger to this community.”
After he’s served his time in state prison, Corbin will not be allowed any contact with minors under 18 years of age. Under the same probation conditions, he will also be restricted from using a computer or the Internet and may be forced to wear a monitoring device at all times.
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