HOULTON, Maine — A Houlton man charged with gross sexual assault and kidnapping was taken to a Lewiston care home Thursday after an Aroostook County judge approved a bail order change on Monday.
Caleb Thompson, 21, who is autistic, was arrested and jailed on Aug. 22 after family members reported to the Houlton Police Department that they believed he had held a young woman with special needs captive for a week in his grandparents’ Madigan Street home while repeatedly sexually assaulting her, according to court documents.
The Aroostook County grand jury indicted Thompson Oct. 30 on five counts: Class A gross sexual assault, Class A kidnapping, Class D criminal restraint, Class E impersonating a public servant and Class C unlawful sexual contact.
Class A offenses carry a potential sentence of 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. If convicted, Thompson could spend decades behind bars.
Initially, Aroostook County Justice Robert Langner set Thompson’s bail at $5,000 cash bail. He was released on 24/7 house arrest with GPS monitoring.
On Monday, Langner approved a bail change motion that allows Thompson an emergency, temporary residence in a supervised home run by DIRIGO Support Professionals in Lewiston with round-the-clock monitoring.
Thompson’s sister, who lives in the Bangor area, told police that the victim shared details with her on Facebook Messenger about what happened at the Madigan Street home in July, including that Thompson sexually assaulted her, forced her to relieve herself in a closet to avoid detection by his grandparents and forced her to eat her own feces and urine, according to the police affidavit.
Thompson allegedly did not feed the woman for a week and did not allow her to shower, police said.
The victim told police that Thompson stuffed her mouth with paper towels, handcuffed her several times and struck her in the face before performing sexual acts, the police report said.
In mid-July, Thompson’s grandfather, Frank Thompson, a psychology professor at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, called Houlton police to say that for about a week his grandson had been hosting a special-needs female in their home without their knowledge, according to court documents.
Thompson, a mandated reporter, allegedly did not share details about the incident with police during the call, but did contact the Department of Health and Human Services and an attorney, the police report said.
It wasn’t until Thompson’s aunt and cousin went to police on July 24 to express concerns about Thompson and criminal activity going on in the home that an investigation ensued.
In addition to the kidnapping and sexual assault account, police said that Thompson also livestreamed himself with a falsified identification card, claiming he had gotten a job as a Houlton police sergeant. Thompson told the victim that he could arrest her if she told on him, police said.
Thompson will be arraigned in Aroostook County Court in Houlton on Jan. 6, 2026.
