ALBION, Maine — A man from Albion is facing decades in prison after he was indicted on charges related to sexual abuse of a minor, sexual assault of a minor, and sexual exploitation of a minor.
Sean Eori, 43, of Albion, posted $50,000 bail on Sept. 22. According to his indictment, he faces eleven charges.
Those close to Eori said he is a co-owner, president, and treasurer of the Winterport Dragway, a car facility used by families throughout the year.
The alleged victim's family claims Eori was a family friend, and that he became close to their daughter.
"She was a baby when we got to know him," Danielle French, the alleged victim's mother said. "For my children, he was like an uncle, and he persuaded her like an uncle."
French said her daughter told her parents about her alleged relationship with Eori in 2022, and a police investigation was launched shortly after.
"It made me look back at every single time of every single interaction we had with the perpetrator. It made me second guess every single thing that happened in the last year-and-a-half," French said.
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to Eori over the phone but did not hear back. An attorney for Eori, Walter McKee, said they would not be commenting on the case.
Dickie Condon, a co-owner of the dragway in Winterport, said he does not support Eori holding onto his presidency.
"We used to be good friends and stuff. And like I tell everyone, I'd rather have an old friend than have a friend that's a pedophile," Condon said.
Condon said the co-owners are set to meet in October to discuss Eori's presidency.
"Some think he's innocent and some don't think he should be there at all," Condon said. "I don't believe an alleged child molester should be the head of a child-friendly place."
Eori is due in court on Thursday to discuss the bail agreement, according to his attorney.
For those who worked decades in law enforcement, like Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry, reporting sexual abuse from those close to the family is difficult.
"After decades in my field, what I've seen in my career is a lot of kids are suffering from trauma," Merry said. "One of the difficult things is for the family to speak out against someone they've had a close relationship with for a long time."
He said families, after reporting these crimes, should expect the justice system to be slower than anticipated.
"From investigation to court to sentencing, it's likely to take a long period of time," Merry said. "It's not going to happen overnight. And unfortunately, each day that goes by, it's a little more agony, and we understand that."
For French, she hopes more parents are careful about building relationships with family friends.
"As a mom, all I want is for my teenage daughter to be a teenage girl again. I want her to live a normal life," French said. "She works hard to move forward in her life but every time we go to court is going to be a reminder of the past."