If you or someone you know needs resources or support related to sexual violence, contact the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s 24/7 hotline at 800-871-7741.
The owner of an Ellsworth art studio that offers classes to children was arrested Friday after he groped a 13-year-old girl, police said.
The girl and her parents reported the alleged groping on Thursday to the Ellsworth Police Department, telling officers that she had been “touched inappropriately by an adult male while attending a private art class in Ellsworth,” according to a police report.
Jack Tedeschi, 60, was arrested the next day on two Class D misdemeanor charges — assault and solicitation of a child, police said. Tedeschi, an Ellsworth resident, is the owner of Riverside Art Center on Franklin Street in downtown Ellsworth.
Tedeschi was arrested and taken to Hancock County Jail and was still being held there Monday morning without bail, according to jail staff. If convicted of the Class D crimes, Tedeschi could face up to a year in prison and a $2,000 fine on each charge.
It was unclear Monday morning if Tedeschi has a lawyer to represent him on the criminal charges. A voicemail message left at the studio’s phone number was not returned Monday morning.
A poster taped in the window of the studio entrance on Sunday evening said the art center is offering art classes this summer to middle and high school students on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
