MAINE
Press Herald
BY EDWARD D. MURPHY
STAFF WRITER
TOPSHAM — Henry A. Eichman surrounded himself with hundreds of children.
Eichman, 57, helped found the Midcoast Youth Theater about 15 years ago, directing hundreds of children as they staged shows such as “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin,” and in 2008, was hired as a part-time employee at St. John’s Catholic School in Brunswick, where he worked with the drama program. Last September, he also started working with the after-school program at St. John’s.
Those many years of working with children, however, have come under greater scrutiny since Eichman was arrested last fall and charged with 16 counts of sexual abuse of children in Sagadahoc County, including unlawful sexual contact, unlawful sexual touching and “visual aggression against a child,” for allegedly videotaping or photographing children who were partially nude. He is due to appear in court next week on those charges.
Neighbors and those who worked with him in the youth theater group say they are shocked by the allegations and that they did not see him engaging in behavior that hinted at abuse, even as more allegations of child sexual abuse have come to light and criminal charges have continued to pile up.
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