ROCKLAND, Maine — A judge set bail Friday at $50,000 cash for a Waldoboro man charged with sexually assaulting a child in 2006.
Justice William Stokes also ordered that Jessie J. Gehrmann, 29, cannot have any contact with anyone under 18 years old if he does make bail. Gehrmann also is prohibited from having contact with the victim, her family or several people who were interviewed by police as part of the criminal investigation.
Gehrmann was arrested Wednesday by Maine State Police and charged with three counts of gross sexual assault and three counts of unlawful sexual contact. He had been held without bail pending his Friday appearance in court.
Because the offenses are Class A felonies, Gehrmann was not asked to submit a plea at Friday’s hearing. His next court hearing is scheduled for May 19. The offenses carry a maximum potential sentence of 30 years in prison.
An affidavit filed in court by police stated that an investigation began in October, when the mother of the victim, who is now 15 years old, contacted police. The mother said her daughter had begun to harm herself, and eventually the girl acknowledged she had been sexually assaulted by Gehrmann in 2006, according to the court document.
The suspect has denied he had assaulted the girl and told police the mother had a grudge against him because he previously ripped her off.