WEST BATH — A Richmond man has been indicted on 12 charges that include unlawful sexual touching of three minors, furnishing liquor to a minor, assault and a felony count of witness tampering.
Jeffrey Tilton, 55, was arrested May 8 on charges of terrorizing and sexual exploitation of a minor under the age of 16. His arrest came after an investigation into an underage drinking party after the high school prom in Richmond, authorities said.
Further investigation by Richmond police resulted in the additional charges.
“This has been a very trying and emotional case for all involved,” Richmond police Chief Scott MacMaster said. “If it wasn’t for the strong ongoing relationship with the school and the community, I don’t believe the investigation would have been so forthcoming. The victims and families should be applauded for their bravery and cooperation.”
Witness tampering is a class C felony; the others are class D or class E misdemeanors.
The indictment alleges that on occasions dating back to January, Tilton furnished alcohol to three minors and subjected them to sexual touching and, in January, exposed himself to one of them.
The indictment also charges Tilton with tampering with a witness and domestic violence terrorizing on the day he was initially arrested. Knowing about the police investigation, Tilton tried to get a witness to lie to investigators, the indictment alleges.
At the time of his arrest in May, Tilton was released on bail, which carried with it several restrictions, including being prohibited from having contact with specific minors. According to court papers, Tilton petitioned for a change to his bail conditions, and a subsequent modification allowed him to be at his home during specific hours of the day.
On June 1, he was arrested for violating the conditions of his bail and taken to Two Bridges Jail in Wiscasset.
Tilton is being represented by Roger Katz. A call to Katz’s law office Thursday afternoon was not returned.
On Thursday, MacMaster said the investigation is ongoing, and he encouraged anyone with any additional information to contact Officer Chris Giles at 737-8518.
Tilton is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the courthouse in West Bath.
Jessica Lowell — 207-621-5632
jlowell@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @JLowellKJ
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