Ex-canaan Youth Minister Abused Girl during Sleep-over, Police Allege

By Betty Adams
Portland Press Herald
May 2, 2016

http://www.pressherald.com/2016/05/02/ex-canaan-youth-minister-abused-girl-during-sleep-over-police-allege/

A former co-director of a youth ministry program in Canaan accused of sexually abusing a child was in court Monday, the same day an affidavit released for the first time indicated multiple allegations of abuse.

Lucas Savage, 27, of Clinton, appeared at the Capital Judicial Center accompanied by the lawyer of the day, Andrew Dawson, rather than Savage’s attorney, Pamela Ames.

Lucas Savage was a co-director of Youth Haven Ministry on Easy Street in Canaan. 2016 Morning Sentinel File Photo/Michael G. Seamans

Lucas Savage

Savage told Judge Eric Walker that he understood the charge of unlawful sexual contact, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

According to the complaint, the offense occurred Sept. 1 -Oct. 31, 2014, in Clinton and involved a child younger than 12. The alleged victim was identified in court only by initials.

The judge said he would not be asking for Savage to enter a plea on the charge Monday.

Savage is free on $1,000 cash bail with a prohibition against contact with children under age 16. However, that bail was amended Monday to allow Savage to have supervised contact with his newborn child once that baby is born.

According to an affidavit filed in court by Maine State Police Detective Benjamin Sweeney, the alleged victim, now 11, told her mother that Savage “had put his hand down (her) pants” and left it there when she spent the night at his home. She also said Savage’s wife was there, but asleep. The mother said the girl told her she and Savage exchanged “secret kisses.”

She also said Savage had touched her inappropriately “about 30 times,” the affidavit says.

The girl’s mother also said her daughter and Savage exchanged messages two or three times a day on Facebook and via text messages.

The affidavit says that when Sweeney questioned Savage on March 17, 2016, he said the alleged victim had lied in the past and requested a lawyer before answering questions about the allegations.

Savage told police at the time that multiple children have slept overnight at his home.

Savage, who was also a youth sports coach, was arrested in March on the charge.

He was co-director of Youth Haven Ministry on Easy Street in Canaan.

Sweeney’s affidavit says the mother of another girl, now 12, said her daughter told her Savage makes her sit on his lap and kiss him before he lets her out of his car. The mother said she went to Savage’s home one day and discovered he and her daughter were alone; Savage’s wife and son were not present.

There are no charges pending with regard to those accusations.