CORNVILLE — A multi-year investigation by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office into a series of sexual assaults has concluded with a significant prison sentence for a Cornville man.
Detective Jeremy Leal began probing the allegations in April 2021 after an adult female reported being sexually assaulted over a three-year period starting in 2016.
Following an extensive investigation, Leal submitted his findings to the Somerset County District Attorney’s Office, resulting in Jakob VanVliet’s indictment by a grand jury in July.
VanVliet, charged with one count of Gross Sexual Assault (Class A) and one count of Gross Sexual Assault (Class C), was initially arrested on August 22 and released on a $5,000 cash bail.
His trial was set for September 2024, but VanVliet failed to show up for jury selection, prompting the court to issue a second arrest warrant.
He was apprehended on September 17 and detained without bail.
Upon his court appearance on October 8 in the Somerset County Unified Criminal Court, VanVliet entered a guilty plea to both counts.
The presiding judge sentenced him to 10 years for the Class A charge, with all but two years suspended, followed by four years of probation.
Concurrently, VanVliet received a two-year sentence for the Class C charge.
As part of his probation, VanVliet must have no contact with the victim, engage in sex offender treatment, and abide by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The court mandated that VanVliet will be listed as a lifetime registrant on the Maine Sex Offender Registry.
