TENANTS HARBOR, Maine — A 58-year-old Tenants Harbor man will be held without bail until a bail revocation hearing is held after he was arrested for the second time in less than two months on a charge of indecent conduct.
The suspect — Robert R. Demmons — has eight prior convictions for indecent conduct or public indecency, the most recent being for exposing himself to a female shopper at the Wal-Mart in Thomaston in October 2014, according to papers filed in court by the district attorney’s office.
Demmons’ latest arrest resulted from an incident on New Year’s Day at the Maritime Farms store in South Thomaston. Police were called after customers reported that Demmons was sitting in his car next to the entrance of the store with his pants down and masturbating.
A 13-year-old girl was sitting in a car parked next to Demmons, according to the affidavit filed by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in Knox County Unified Court.
Two male customers approached Demmons and tried to get the keys to his car to prevent him from leaving but he managed to drive away, according to police. The store’s video surveillance cameras, however, showed Demmons in his car and police went to his home. Demmons told officers that he was planning to go see a counselor about his problem.
A store employee told officers that Demmons had twice previously been caught masturbating in the store — once in an aisle and another time in the bathroom — but police were not called.
Demmons was arrested and taken to the Knox County Jail in Rockland. Judge Barbara Raimondi ordered Demmons held without bail until a hearing is held to decide whether to revoke his probation.
The latest charge follows by less than a month his Dec. 4 arrest for a similar incident that police say occurred Nov. 17 at the Salvation Army store in Rockland. According to that police report, Demmons was standing near a changing room and masturbating.
He left before police arrived but officers went to his home and spoke with him. The case was referred to the district attorney’s office, which obtained an arrest warrant, and officers picked him up. Demmons was released on $750 bail in that case.
At his Wednesday court hearing, he pleaded not guilty to the offenses and denied that he had violated the condition of bail from the December arrest.