DAMARISCOTTA, Maine — A Bristol man previously convicted of multiple sex crimes faces new charges after he allegedly assaulted a woman at a Damariscotta laundromat.
Lawrence B. Sidelinger, 53, faces charges of assault, criminal threatening and unlawful sexual touching, all Class D misdemeanors punishable by up to 364 days in jail.
Sidelinger is a lifetime registrant on the Maine Sex Offender Registry. He has convictions for gross sexual assault and unlawful sexual contact, according to the registry.
A woman told police Sidelinger followed her into Tri-Bay Laundry about 1 p.m. Wednesday “and after a brief conversation … grabbed her and stuffed his hands down her pants” and touched her genitals, Damariscotta Police Department Sgt. Jason Warlick said.
The woman told police “she pushed him away and told him ‘no,’ but he kept doing it,” Warlick said. After she pushed him away a third time, he swore and left the laundromat.
A friend of the woman reported the incident to police the next morning.
Damariscotta police Officer Erick Halpin investigated the incident. Halpin and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy Ken Hatch arrested Sidelinger without incident at his Bristol residence on Thursday. He was released on $5,000 bail from Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.
Sidelinger and the alleged victim “were acquaintances at best,” Warlick said. “We don’t know what his mindset was behind it.”
Sidelinger declined to talk to police at the time of his arrest.
The 521 Main St. laundromat and the “entire grounds” are under audio and video surveillance, Warlick said. The property’s owners are cooperating with the investigation.
To reach a sexual assault advocate, call the Statewide Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Line at 800-871-7741, TTY 888-458-5599. This free and confidential 24-hour service is accessible from anywhere in Maine. Calls are automatically routed to the closest sexual violence service provider.