CHINA – A local man was jailed after allegedly invading a home and sexually assaulting the occupant, a female neighbor.

According to a Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office news release, James Bickford, 33, has been charged with robbery and gross sexual assault in connection with the incident.

As of Saturday afternoon, he was at the Kennebec County jail. His bail has been set at $250,000, and he is expected to be arraigned Monday.

According to the release, sheriff’s deputies were called to a Dirigo Road residence around 10:45 p.m. Friday. There the victim, 21, said she was alone in her home around 10:30 that night when she heard the handle move on the locked front door.

A man entered, wearing a T-shirt, jeans, gloves and a ski mask. Kennebec County Sheriff Randall Liberty said the victim was fairly new to the complex and Bickford was a neighbor.

The victim, whose husband had left for work 10 minutes before the attack, said the suspect punched her and put what she thought was a gun to her back.

The victim said that the man demanded money, forced her to undress and sexually assaulted her, according to police. She was able to escape, slamming the man’s arm in a door. She then ran out of the residence.

Neighbors heard her yelling and came to her aid, police said. According to the sheriff’s office, the man fled to his own house and was located by deputies.

The department obtained a search warrant and found what it called “significant amount of physical and testimonial evidence” for Bickford’s arrest.

 

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