Redefining the essence of perversion, a Maine father was sentenced to 18 months in prison after advertising on the Internet for someone to kidnap and rape his own 12-year old daughter.
"Trying to image someone encouraging a stranger to rape and kidnap a 12-year-old girl and perhaps watching is pretty unimaginable," Judge John Romei said.
"Then, when you factor in that the person who was doing the solicitation was that little girl's own father, it just boggles my mind."the judge continued. "How can [that girl] ever trust anyone ever again?"
Harry Munson, 38, Munson told Judge Romei that he had committed a "heinous" crime for which he was sorry. "I put my daughter's life in jeopardy, and I have to live with that," he said. He also said he was worried about his daughter's health and safety. "I hold myself responsible. There is no excuse for what I did," he said.
Additionally, Munson was placed on six years of probation and ordered to register as a sex offender.
In 1999, Munson advertised in an Internet chat room for someone to abduct and rape his daughter. He wanted the kidnapper to share electronic pictures of the sexual assault on his daughter so he could watch, listen or view the event.
On Sept. 10, 1999, a Louisiana woman notified the Washington County Sheriff's Department that she had seen an ad in an adult chat room from a "Harry" indicating that he was looking for someone to kidnap and rape his daughter.
Six months after the first report, a man who lives in Maine notified police that while he was in a chat room, someone who called himself "wild-2-us" asked the man to kidnap and rape his daughter.
The man provided the girl's address in Rockland. "This person wanted the [Maine] man to electronically mail him pictures of the rape," the affidavit said.
State police detectives visited the Rockland address on June 26, 2000, and spoke with the girl's stepfather. According to the affidavit, the stepfather said the child was visiting her biological father in Eastport.
State police removed the girl from Munson's home in Eastport and returned her to her mother in Rockland.
On June 29, detectives went to Munson's home, and Munson acknowledged posting the chat room conversations signed by "wild-2-us," but he said he had been "trying to be funny."
Munson signed a consent-to-search form for the computer in the house. The computer was turned over to a computer crimes task force.
On July 3, 2000, Munson called Detective Glenn Lang in Augusta and asked about his daughter's well-being. During the conversation, Munson told Lang that he had posted the abduction information on the Internet four times.
He also told the detective that he was not trying to be funny, but said he fully intended to have his daughter abducted and raped. "He said he simply did not have the nerve to go through with it each time," the affidavit stated.
During Tuesday's sentence hearing, Assistant District Attorney Paul Cavanaugh told Judge Romei that Munson had tried several times to have his daughter kidnapped and raped. He also told the court that Munson had no prior record and was willing to accept responsibility for his actions.
Munson's attorney, John Churchill of Calais, said that shortly after he was arrested, Munson had voluntarily sought psychological treatment and continued to undergo counseling and was remorseful. The defendant's attorney said that because there is no psychological counseling available in the county jail, it was appropriate to sentence Munson to the Department of Corrections, where he would be eligible for treatment.
The judge sentenced Munson to six years in prison with all but 18 months suspended. As part of his probation conditions, Munson was ordered to have no contact with his daughter or his ex-wife. He also was ordered not to have or use a computer or to have access to the Internet.