A longtime and decorated state probation officer pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to accessing child sexual abuse material.

Jeffery Furlong, 53, of China, pleaded guilty last week to one count of access with intent to view child pornography. Furlong worked for the Maine Department of Corrections as a probation officer for more than two decades. While the department confirmed Furlong was a former employee, the spokesperson did not say when or how he left or how long he worked there.

It was the culmination of a monthslong investigation. Furlong’s case is notable because he has gotten recognition for his work overseeing people convicted of sex crimes, including when he helped apprehend a violent rapist who fled to Canada more than a decade ago.

The Maine State Police Computer Crim

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