A former Topsham police school resource officer at Mt. Ararat High School pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor in connection to an allegation of unlawful sexual touching with a student during the 2020 academic year.
Cumberland County District Attorney Jonathan Sahrbeck said Tuesday that Randy Cook, 47, of Brunswick has been sentenced to seven days in Cumberland County Jail for misdemeanor assault.
According to the court documents, Cook would self-report to serve his jail sentence and must pay a $300 fine by March. 7.
Class D crimes can be punishable by up to 364 days incarceration and a $2,000 fine.
The original charge of unlawful sexual touching, a Class E misdemeanor charge issued last year that carries a sentence of up to six months incarceration and a $1,000 fine, was dismissed.
According to a news release from the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office, the charges stem from an incident in the fall of 2020 and was investigated by Topsham police and the Maine State Police.
The District Attorney for Sagadahoc County and Topsham Police Department had requested that the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office and the Maine State Police investigate the matter given the allegations involved a member of the Topsham Police Department.
Former Topsham School Resource Officer Randy Cook sits in his office at Mt. Ararat High School in this 2018 file photo. The former officer pled guilty Monday to a misdemeanor involving a student in 2020. Darcie Moore / The Times Record file
Topsham Police Chief Marc Hagan said that they had received a complaint on Nov. 6, 2020, alleging misconduct by Cook.
“I met with the complainant on Nov. 7 and I thought I had enough information to put Officer Cook on paid administrative leave, which is what we did,” said Hagan. “We immediately began the process to do an internal investigation, but he resigned prior to us being able to interview him and we turned everything over to the Sagadahoc County District Attorney’s Office.”
He said it would be inappropriate for his department to investigate any criminal matters regarding one of their own officers.
When he had looked at Cook’s prior history, Hagan said nothing indicated that there had ever been any complaints of this nature previously.
“I had only been here for six weeks when this complaint was made,” said Hagan. “Everything I have seen shows that a formal background check was done on him, and nothing showed that there was going to be an issue along these lines.”
Cook worked as a police officer in the Topsham Police Department for 17 years from April 2003 until he resigned on Nov. 10, 2020.
According to earlier reports, he had worked as a school resource officer at Mt. Ararat High and Middle schools for more than five years.
Mt. Ararat High School Principal Chris Hoffman declined to comment, stating he wasn’t there when Cook was serving as the School Resource Officer.
Interim School Superintendent Bob Lucy and Board Chair Holly Kopp did not respond to multiple emails seeking comment.
During the plea and sentencing on Monday, the victim and her family had the opportunity to give a victim impact statement to the court, according to the release.
“Coming forward and participating in an investigation is never easy, and when dealing with a perpetrator who is in a position of authority, it can be especially difficult,” Sahrbeck stated. “I am proud of the victim and her family for having the strength to move forward with the investigation and prosecution of this case in order to hold the defendant accountable for his actions. My hope is that this prosecution will be able to provide some closure to the victim and her family. I am also grateful to the law enforcement investigators who handled this sensitive case professionally and diligently, which led to charges against the defendant.”
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