The Autism Society of Maine (ASM), a non-profit, dismissed board member Nicholas Pike, 29, on Monday after an inquiry by The Maine Wire inquired about why a Tier III lifetime sex offender registrant was serving on its governing body.
“The Autism Society of Maine has dismissed a Board member after learning they are listed on the Maine Sex Offender Registry. This information was not disclosed during the application process. We take this matter seriously,” said ASM Board President Melissa Ponce in a statement provided to The Maine Wire.
Nicholas David Pike joined ASM’s board, made up of volunteer members, sometime earlier this year, though the exact date is unclear. He was described on the non-profit’s website as a “self-advocate for the Autism Spectrum community” who is dedicated to making friends and making the world more inclusive. The now-deleted bio for Pike also claimed that he has Asperger’s Syndrome, described as a type of high-functioning autism.
Pike’s bio fails to mention that he was required to become a lifetime Tier III sex offender registrant following a conviction for visual sexual aggression against a child.
Ponce told The Maine Wire that the ASM was not aware of Pike’s status as a Tier III sex offender when they accepted his board application. Tier III is the highest tier on the sex offender registry and is reserved for the worst offenders.
According to Pike’s sex offender registry page, he resides at the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center in Bangor, one of only two psychiatric hospitals that care for outpatients and inpatients, including patients sent there against their will under a court order.
His registrant page shows that he is required to verify his registration every three months, but it lists his last verification date as September 2024 and his next required date as November of the same year, suggesting that the page may be out of date.
Notably, the now-deleted ASM bio for Pike listed him as an Ellsworth resident.
The Maine Wire reached out to the Maine Sex Offender Registry help desk, asking about the seemingly outdated verification dates and requesting confirmation that the address information on the page was up-to-date. The help desk informed The Maine Wire that they were unable to provide any information on Pike.
A Facebook page apparently belonging to Pike lists his current residence as Bangor but shows that he grew up in Ellsworth. The page also reveals that Pike works at a Hannaford supermarket.
Reports from 2015 reveal that Pike was arrested that year when he was 19, following a disturbing incident in 2014 in which he reportedly exposed himself to a group of boys under the age of 12. Pike allegedly crawled fully nude from underneath a closed bathroom stall at the Mount Desert Island YMCA and exposed himself to three minors.
That was allegedly not his first incident at a YMCA. According to reports, a Mount Desert Island YMCA employee recognized Pike based on a warning of earlier alleged inappropriate behavior from the Down East Family YMCA in Ellsworth.
In addition to the charge of visual sexual aggression against a child, of which he was eventually convicted, Pike was also arrested on charges of harassment by telephone or another communication device.
According to a report from the Mount Desert Islander, Pike incurred the harassment charge after he allegedly sent nude photos of himself to a young boy in Canada.
According to the outlet, Bar Harbor Police Officer Soren Sundberg interviewed Pike at the time of his arrest, and Pike allegedly admitted to going to the YMCA bathroom on three consecutive days and spending hours there nude while fantasizing about young boys.
At the time of his arrest, Pike was out on bail after he allegedly stole a pair of boys’ underwear from a Walmart in Ellsworth. Those bail conditions prohibited Pike from entering any YMCAs due to what was described as concerning but not criminal behavior.
Following his arrest, a judge ruled that Pike was temporarily unfit to stand trial, and he was delivered into the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for treatment to help him understand the charges leveled against him. That ruling appears to contradict his now-deleted ASM bio, which described him as having “high-functioning” autism.
The ASM is dedicated to helping vulnerable adults and children with autism, and hosts a variety of events for disabled children and their families.
Pike, as a board member, was presumably in a position of authority over events for vulnerable children, though it is unclear whether board members typically have direct involvement with such events.
Judging by the application document for volunteer board members used by the ASM prior to Pike’s removal, the nonprofit had a very lax vetting process for prospective members. They asked only for basic personal information like name and address, along with a few biographical notes.
Applicants were not required to disclose criminal histories or undergo background checks as part of the application process, despite the organization’s work with vulnerable minors.
That will change going forward, according to Ponce.
She told The Maine Wire that, following the revelation of Pike’s status on the sex offender registry, all current board members and future applicants will be required to submit to background checks.
She also said that the non-profit’s bylaws will be updated to preserve safety, though she did not specify what additional changes would be made aside from implementing mandatory background checks.
“Effective immediately, we are implementing mandatory background checks for all current and future Board members and updating our bylaws to strengthen governance and preserve safety and trust,” said Ponce.
“Our mission is grounded in trust, safety, and advocacy for vulnerable individuals. Protecting the wellbeing of the autism community we serve is—and will remain—our highest priority,” she added.
The ASM received $179,732 in taxpayer funds, according to their most recent form 990 tax filings filed in 2024. They have also previously partnered with Bangor Pride and operated as a vendor at their June event.
