ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – The former University of New Hampshire police officer charged with molesting a 12-year-old boy told a court-appointed psychologist he was relieved to be arrested, prosecutors said Monday.

Carl Sonne, 63, also said he had had a severe alcohol problem years ago and displayed symptoms of depression, Stafford County Attorney Janice Rundles said during a hearing in Rochester District Court.

Judge Franklin Jones said the evidence was sufficient to send the case to Superior Court.

Sonne’s relief at being arrested was not an admission of guilt, his lawyer, Stuart Dedopoulos, said after the hearing.

“He has a lot of personal issues he’s been dealing with which don’t necessarily result in sexual assault on minors,” Dedopoulos said.

Sonne, of Rochester, was arrested Aug. 15 when he showed up for work at UNH. The day before, the 12-year-old had told his stepfather he had been abused by Sonne.

Prosecutors said 12 alleged victims, including at least seven boys, have come forward. They said Sonne has confirmed the 12 were his victims and offered even more names.

No connection with UNH was alleged during the hour-long hearing.

Dedopoulos said whether the touching was criminal or accidental has not been determined. He said Sonne alluded to touching boys accidentally while wrestling during a tape-recorded phone call with the 12-year-old.

The seven boys who told police they had been molested in Rochester said Sonne gave them alcohol and asked them to perform sexual acts and look at pictures of naked boys and girls on his computer, according to court papers. Two of them told police Sonne once pointed a gun at his own head, asking them “Do you want me to do this?” They said he then turned the gun on them briefly.

Police said last week that Sonne’s assaults on young boys may date back more than 30 years.

But Dedopoulos questioned why only one charge has been filed.

“The initial charge was brought to the attention of the authorities on the morning of the 15th and they get an arrest warrant by the afternoon,” he said. “I don’t understand it. If you can get one in eight hours, why can’t you get 10 more in 10 days?”

Rundles said there was no need to rush because the public is not in danger. Sonne is being held on $100,000 cash bail.

The 12-year-old told investigators Sonne had fondled his genitals five times during an 18-month period.

In a recorded call between the boy and Sonne, Sonne said he would get into trouble and go to prison for life if the boy disclosed the incidents, prosecution investigator Tom Hart testified. Sonne told the boy he was sick and needed help and said “I don’t care if I have a life and it lasts two hours,” Hart testified.

Occasionally removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes, Sonne sat hunched forward next to his attorney during the hearing, which was in a courthouse where he once served as a part-time bailiff.

Dedopoulos said his client is depressed because he realizes his reputation is ruined. Both Sonne and his attorney said they are worried about his safety in prison following the weekend killing of a pedophile priest in a Massachusetts prison.

Besides working as a bailiff, Sonne spent years working for the Conway Police Department.

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