SKOWHEGAN — A Unity man pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to sexually assaulting an extended family member when she was a minor.

Jesse Harvey

Jesse J. Harvey, 31, entered a guilty plea to one Class A count of gross sexual assault during a brief hearing at the Somerset County Superior Court.

Harvey, who has been held since his April arrest at the Somerset County Jail in Madison, will be sentenced at a future hearing, when both sides will argue for an appropriate sentence.

Timothy Snyder, first assistant district attorney in the Somerset County district attorney’s office, said in court that the state would cap its recommended sentence at 10 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Prosecutors’ proposed conditions of the supervised release would include that Harvey have no contact with children under the age of 18, except for his own children, comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act and undergo evaluation for sexual offenders.

Harvey’s attorney, Lynn Madison, said he also understood those were the guidelines of the capped sentence.

Harvey could withdraw the guilty plea if a judge determines a longer sentence is warranted. Class A offenses are punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine under Maine statute.

Harvey was arrested in April, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office said previously. The Department of Health and Human Services referred the case to Sheriff’s Office investigators, Sheriff Dale Lancaster said last April.

According to Snyder, the prosecutor, Harvey had a sexual relationship with the victim when she was 12 years old. Harvey is married to a family member of the victim, Snyder said in the state’s summary of its evidence.

The Morning Sentinel does not identify victims of sexual assault without their consent.

Earlier this year, the victim, now 16, had an abortion after becoming pregnant with a child whose father was believed to be Harvey, Snyder said. At that time, the victim began to talk with police and disclosed the previous sexual relationship she had with Harvey between Aug. 1 and Dec. 1, 2020. Harvey was later charged with the gross sexual assault that took place in 2020.

The Somerset County grand jury indictment handed down in May alleges the gross sexual assault in that time frame occurred in the Somerset County town of Detroit, court records show. Information released earlier by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office said it occurred in Hartland.

In his investigation, Detective Jeremy Leal of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Harvey, who admitted to the sexual assault and said the two performed oral sex on each other when she was 12 years old, Snyder said. The sexual relationship then stopped until the victim turned 16, Harvey reportedly told Leal.

The recording of the interview would have been offered as evidence during a trial, Snyder said.

Harvey told Leal that he knew his actions were wrong, but he could not control himself, Snyder said.

Superior Court Chief Justice Robert Mullen, who accepted the guilty plea, asked if he had anything to correct from Snyder’s statement. Harvey said the victim had a miscarriage, not an abortion. Otherwise, he and his attorney acknowledged the state’s evidence.

During the rest of the hearing, Harvey, who was shackled and wearing glasses and blue jail clothing, spoke softly to answer a standard list of questions for entering a guilty plea that Mullen asked him.

Mullen ordered the state forensic service to complete a risk assessment for Harvey ahead of sentencing.

Based on the expected timeline for that report to be completed, Mullen tentatively set a sentencing hearing for March 20, 2025, in Skowhegan.