PARIS — A former Rumford official pleaded not guilty to felony child pornography charges in court Tuesday.

Jeremy Vashaw, 41, waived his right to have felony charges of dissemination of sexually explicit material and possession of sexually explicit materials read aloud during an arraignment hearing in Oxford County Superior Court.

According to a grand jury indictment, Vashaw is charged with possessing and intending to distribute sexually explicit images of a child under 12 years old from November 2012 to November 2013.

Conviction on the dissemination charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine; on the possession charge, punishment is up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Active-Retired Justice Robert Clifford amended the $1,000 cash bail to personal recognizance. 

According to bail documents, Vashaw was granted supervised contact with family members under the age of 18 during family gatherings and may seek employment where incidental contact with minors may occur, though the judge denied him access to the Internet to check his bank account and pay bills.

A former member of the Rumford Finance Committee, Vashaw was arrested March 27 after investigators found hundreds of sexually explicit images of children under the age of 12 on his computer. The computer was seized and analysed by the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit last December. 

Vashaw was fired from his job as a banquet server at Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry upon confirmation of his arrest. He has no criminal history.

A Rumford native, Vashaw was named to the Finance Committee in 2012. A list of committee members on the town website no longer includes his name.

Vashaw also served nine years on the Appeals Board in Rumford and ran for selectmen and tax collector but was not elected to either office.

He was arrested July 2 on a charge of violating bail conditions after Rumford police received a tip he was visiting a juvenile family member, according to police.