A former Westbrook High School track coach who admitted having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student has died of an apparent suicide, according to Maine State Police.
Timothy Even, 28, of Stoneham was found dead about 11 a.m. Friday in his car, which was backed into a log landing on Route 5 in Lovell near the Stoneham town line, state police said.
“His death is not suspicious and is believed to be a suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning,” said state police Lt. Walter Grzyb.
Grzyb said the state medical examiner’s office will make the final determination.
Even was indicted in November by the Cumberland County grand jury on five counts of gross sexual assault. He initially denied the relationship, then admitted it after detectives showed him copies of explicit text messages he and the student allegedly exchanged, according to an affidavit.
A friend of the victim saw the text messages on the girl’s cellphone and, along with the girl’s parents, contacted Westbrook police. According to police, the relationship began in April 2016 and continued until Even’s arrest in September.
“This is a situation that started with the best of intentions,” Even wrote in an affidavit released in September. “Unfortunately, my lack of professionalism and self-control created a situation that got out of hand.”
He was convicted in December on misdemeanor counts of unlawful sexual contact and assault, according to state records.
The age of consent in Maine is 16, but teachers or school employees are prohibited by law from having sexual relationships with students if the employee has disciplinary or supervisory authority over the student.
Even had been a full-time ed tech for the Westbrook school district since 2013 and an adviser for the high school’s class of 2018. Before working in Westbrook schools, he was an assistant cross country and track coach at Fryeburg Academy. He had also worked at Camp Susan Curtis, a nonprofit camp for economically disadvantaged youths, since 2004 and most recently had been assistant director of the camp’s 10-week summer program.
Noel K. Gallagher can be contacted at 791-6387 or at:
ngallagher@pressherald.com; Twitter: noelinmaine
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