Attorney General Janet Mills Addresses Case of Former Lincoln County Deputy Kenneth Hatch

January 26, 2018

AUGUSTA - Maine Attorney General Janet Mills offered the following statement in relation to the disposition of the case against former Lincoln County Deputy Kenneth Hatch.

?We support the victims, these brave survivors. We believe them. Unfortunately, the jury did not find beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Hatch was guilty of these crimes. Fortunately, he will never work in law enforcement again.

Now we must all work harder than ever to prevent this conduct from occurring in the first place. We must change the culture so that no one feels afraid to speak up, no one is coerced or intimidated into having sex without consent and no one feels they can use a position of power or authority to prey on others who are younger or less powerful than they.

We applaud the women in this case for speaking up and only regret that the jury did not convict Mr. Hatch and that significant legal issues prevented a retrial.?

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