By Tiffany Williams –
A 79-year-old man is behind bars after Maine State Police say he violated the conditions of his probation.
On Monday, February 9, 2026, at approximately 4:20 PM, the Maine State Police Special Victim’s Unit arrested 79-year-old Eliot Cutler of Brooklin in South Portland.
Let that sink in. Seventy-nine years old. Arrested by the Special Victim’s Unit.
Authorities say Maine State Police Detectives were in Cumberland County conducting separate, unrelated investigative activity and were at a hotel in South Portland when Cutler was encountered. During that interaction, it was determined that Cutler was in violation of the conditions of his probation.
This was not a targeted sweep. Not a planned pickup. Detectives were at a hotel on unrelated business when they came face-to-face with Cutler. And in that moment, according to police, they discovered he was violating probation.
After consulting with Cutler’s Probation Officer, Cutler was taken into custody and transported to the Cumberland County Jail, where he is being held on a probation hold.
No chase. No dramatic standoff. A probation hold. But make no mistake — probation is not optional. It is a court-ordered second chance with strict rules. And when those rules are broken, the cuffs come out.
Cutler now sits in the Cumberland County Jail as the legal process moves forward.
No additional information is being released at this time.
That’s all authorities are saying — for now.