ROCKLAND — A 53-year-old Rockport man was sentenced Wednesday afternoon to five years in prison, with all but seven months suspended, following his conviction for sexually assaulting two children.

During a hearing Jan. 29 in Knox County Superior Court, Mark Cayouette pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful sexual contact. At that time, an agreement was reached between Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Baroody and Cayouette, through his attorney, Eric Morse of Rockland.

That agreement included the five-year prison sentence, 12 years of probation and a permanent listing on the Maine Sex Offender Registry. The original agreement called for a suspended prison sentence for all but nine months, but Baroody and Morse subsequently agreed to amend the suspended portion to be seven months.

During the sentencing hearing before Justice Daniel Billings, Baroody told the court he had accepted the plea deal because Cayouette immediately accepted responsibility for his actions, has been in psychological counseling for several months and does not have a prior criminal record.

Cayouette was arrested July 19, 2014, when Rockport police were contacted by the family of the victims. According to the court document, he said "tickling had gotten out of hand."

But Cayouette also never denied the allegations, and told police that he was embarrassed and relieved that he had been caught, according to the court document. He has been free on bail since his arrest.

Sarah Shepherd can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com