A former Brunswick town councilor accused of child pornography possession wants to move the venue of his case, claiming media coverage has made it impossible for him to get a fair trial in Cumberland County.
Christopher Watkinson. Courtesy photo
Christopher Watkinson, 44, was indicted in November 2022 on one charge of possession of sexually explicit material of a minor under 12, a Class C felony, and one charge of possession of sexually explicit material, a Class D misdemeanor. He pleaded not guilty. He faces up to six years in prison and $7,000 in fines if convicted.
Following the indictment, Watkinson resigned from the Town Council and was placed on leave from his job as a technical director and music lecturer at Bowdoin College. He is no longer employed at the school.
His attorney, William Bly, filed a motion in Cumberland County Superior Court to change the venue of the case to Androscoggin County, citing media coverage by Maine newspapers and television stations. A judge is scheduled to rule on that request during a hearing Nov. 9.
“The nature of the allegation against Mr. Watkinson has further impacted the local news media’s coverage of this case,” Bly wrote. “The media coverage of the accusations against Mr. Watkinson … has been extensive, pervasive, immediate, intense and invidious.
“For Mr. Watkinson to have a fair trial consistent with due process … this Court must change venue.”
Bly wrote the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office does not object to the venue change.
Watkinson has been free on personal recognizance bond, with the condition he have no unsupervised contact with children below the age of 10 aside from his own children.
Bly earlier this year told a judge that Watkinson clicked an internet link in June 2021 and was “shocked” when sexually explicit images of a young girl appeared. He downloaded and emailed three images to himself with the intention of turning them into police, according to Bly. Yahoo reported the images to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, prompting Maine State Police to execute a search warrant at Watkinson’s home, where agents confiscated 21 electronic devices, including some belonging to his family members.
Bly said Watkinson did not turn over the images to police because he was supporting a relative who had a heart attack.
“People still don’t know the full story and won’t know the full story until or unless this case has to go to trial,” Bly told The Times Record earlier this year. “We’re confident in Chris’ innocence.”
Watkinson was elected District 5 councilor in 2017 and reelected in 2020. He had been active in local school issues, organizing a petition against a School Board proposal to address overcrowding by moving fifth graders to the junior high school and campaigning for the replacement of the Coffin School.
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