Child Sex Charge Against Mom of Four Leaves Small Town Reeling

Allegations that a mother of four young kids in Maine Webcast the sexual assault of one of her children have rocked the small town in which she lives.

Julie M. Carr, 30, of Mars Hill, Maine, was arrested Friday night by state police after they received a tip from 3,000 miles away, when the Child Exploitation Investigation Team of England's West Midlands Police received information that a local man was using the Internet to show inappropriate material of children.

A day later, Carr was arrested, and her four children — believed to range from 18 months to 5 years old — were taken into protective custody.

On Monday, Carr was charged with gross sexual assault and felony exploitation of a child. She faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted on both charges. She did not enter a plea.

Wendy Ashby said she recognized Carr's face in local news reports from when she lived at the Mountain View Apartments in Mars Hill, a town of 1,500 people.

"She kept to herself," Ashby told FOXNews.com. "And thank God … She's a sicko who needs to be put away for a while, and she needs serious, serious help."

Ashby, who has a 14-year-old daughter and a 24-year-old son, said she was shocked to learn of the allegations against Carr.

"It's just unbelievable that something like that would happen in this town," she said. "It's a shock. You usually hear about men doing stuff like this to children, but a woman? No, that's beyond even thinking about. And then to find out that it's her own child, that's just beyond anything someone could think about."

Wanda London, a neighbor of Carr's, said she wished the woman and her children well.

"I love Julie and I love them children," said London. "I hope God protects them children."

Town Manager Raymond Mersereau said local officials have no records of Carr, adding that none of her four children had been registered with school officials.

"[She] wasn't a person we had any knowledge of in the community," Mersereau told FOXNews.com. "And I've lived here all my life and I know most of the people who lived here for more than a year."

Mars Hill does not have a police force and relies on state police and the Aroostook County Sherriff's Department for law enforcement, Mersereau said.

He said he couldn't remember anyone in Mars Hill facing such charges.

"This is not something that rural Maine sees," he said. "We find it hard to believe, but with the Internet, you never know what's going on."

Aroostook County District Attorney Neale Adams declined to comment, citing Carr's right to a fair trial and protection of the alleged victims.

Attorney Jeffrey Pickering, who represented Carr during Monday's arraignment, could not be reached for comment.

Maine State Police Det. Sgt. John Cote said authorities believe Carr had lived in the town for 60 to 90 days. A previous address could not be immediately located and Maine State Police had no contact with her prior to last week's arrest, he said.

Cote praised British investigators for acting quickly in the case and for leading American authorities in the "right direction."

"We just needed to do some confirming and independent corroboration," Cote said. "Everything fell into place very well. That's what matters."