A former Maine Department of Corrections (DOC) probation officer pleaded guilty to child pornography charges on Friday, with a search of his social media account revealing an alleged expressed interest in 6- to 12-year-olds.
Jeffrey H. Furlong, 53, of China, Maine, a former probation officer working at the DOC’s Waterville office, was arrested in October 2024 on child pornography charges after a long and decorated career in the DOC.
Prior to his own arrest for a sexual crime, Furlong had a history of working as a probation officer for criminals accused of sex offenses and, according to information obtained by the Bangor Daily News, had worked at the DOC since at least 2003.
In 2011, Furlong was decorated at the International Fugitive Investigators Conference in Toronto, Canada, after his investigation was instrumental in the arrest of violent rapist fugitive Mike Beaulieu. Beaulieu was eventually convicted after he was apprehended in Canada and sentenced to life in prison.
According to court documents, Furlong served as a probation officer for Vincent Robinson in 2008, who was out and living in Waterville following a sexual assault conviction.
It appears that Furlong worked at the DOC until his arrest, as an archived webpage shows that he was still employed as a probation officer as of September 2024.
He also drove a DOC company car, a 2022 Chevy Malibu, and according to state financial records, he received a total of $102,210 in compensation in 2024, including benefits.
Last year, law enforcement received a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating that the decorated parole officer had uploaded child pornography via his Kik account. Kik is a free Canadian messaging app known for features that allow users to preserve anonymity.
Following an investigation, law enforcement secured an arrest warrant for Furlong’s residence and his Kik account. Furlong allegedly admitted that he had used Kik to receive multiple images and videos of child pornography.
Furlong pleaded guilty to one count of access with intent to view child pornography and faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
