Contact: Domenica Padula, Chief, Criminal Division, 802-828-3171
Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced today that Michael Hartigan of Randolph, Vermont, was arraigned on May 14, 2020, on two felony counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, two felony counts of Promotion of Child Pornography, and two misdemeanor counts of Voyeurism. Mr. Hartigan pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Vermont Superior Court, Orange Criminal Division. The Court, Judge Thomas A. Zonay presiding, ordered him held him without bail.
Mr. Hartigan’s charges stem from an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Office, Vermont’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Vermont State Police, Burlington Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Vermont’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigates cases of child sexual exploitation occurring over the internet, including the production and online sharing of child pornography. The Task Force also provides forensic examination services, technical assistance, law enforcement training, and public education and outreach. The Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Vermont State Police, and other county and municipal law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies are members of the Task Force.
The Attorney General emphasizes that individuals charged with a crime are legally presumed innocent until their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.