Maine man pleads guilty to interstate stalking of Greenland boy

Michael Chick (Police mugshot)

CONCORD - A Maine man pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to cyberstalking an eight-year-old child, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced.

Michael Chick, 40, of Eliot, Maine, is set to be sentenced in September. He was arrested in August and indicted in September.

Chick, a former school bus driver for Greenland Central School, began stalking the eight-year-old on his bus route at least as early as March of last year. Chick gave the victim candy and small toys, and asked for permission to attend the child's sporting events. Later, Chick provided the victim with cell phones and instructed the child to call Chick when he was alone, according to statements made in court.

Chick told the child lies about a secret organization that would kidnap and torture the victim and kill the child's family if the child did not fulfill various demands, which Chick purported to be relaying to the victim on behalf of the organization. Chick traveled to the child's home at night and photographed the inside of their home by peering through the windows.

He also placed GPS trackers on both of the victim's parents' vehicles, according to prosecutors. A forensic examination of Chick's cell phone revealed surreptitiously recorded images and videos of the child and their family at various public locations such as retail stores, theme parks, and sporting events.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.