ROCKLAND, Maine — A Tenants Harbor man was taken to the hospital after he collapsed in court as he was about to be sentenced to a one-year prison term for the latest in a long series of indecent exposure incidents.
Robert R. Demmons, 58, was in one of the courtrooms at the Knox County Unified Court ready to plead guilty to indecent conduct as well as to violating a condition of release. Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Baroody said the prosecution and defense had reached an agreement in which Demmons would serve the maximum sentence of 364 days in prison for the Class D offense.
Judge Patricia Worth then turned to Demmons to formally get his plea.
Demmons was leaning on a walker and shaking and said nothing before he fell between two benches holding other inmates and hit the floor of the courtroom.
The hearing was recessed as two corrections officers approached and spoke with Demmons who remained on the floor. The courtroom was cleared, and the court later reported that the defendant was taken to the hospital.
Demmons has eight prior convictions for indecent conduct or public indecency, the most recent being for exposing himself to a shopper in October 2014 at the Wal-Mart in Thomaston.
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 next to a car occupied by a 13-year-old girl.
Two 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.
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 also had been arrested Dec. 4, 2015, for a similar incident that police say occurred Nov. 17, 2015, at the Salvation Army store in Rockland.
Demmons at some point will need to return to court for official sentencing.