JAY – A Farmington District Court judge set $2,500 unsecured bail Wednesday for a Livermore Falls man charged with sexual abuse of a minor.

Robert Decker, 28, was arrested Tuesday after an investigation by Jay Sgt. Charles Keene who was assisted by Maine State Police Detective Warren Ferland.

Decker appeared in court Wednesday before Judge John McElwee.

No plea was entered.

The alleged sexual abuse occurred June 24, 2003, with a girl who was 14 at the time, 10 years younger than Decker.

When McElwee asked why the court was dealing with an incident that happened last summer, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Robinson said disclosure of the incident came in March of this year and investigation occurred over a week to a week-and-a-half.

Robinson asked that if the court set bail, it be $2,000 cash or $20,000 single surety. The state prosecutor proposed conditions including no contact, direct or indirect, with the victim and no contact with any female under age 18.

The 10-year age difference makes the charge a felony, Jay police Chief Larry White Sr. said earlier.

Robinson also noted that Decker had a prior conviction of assault, and a charge of theft by unauthorized taking.

Decker told McElwee he has lived on Main Street in Livermore Falls for three months and before that in Jay.

McElwee opted to set bail at $2,500, telling Decker that he didn’t have to post cash bail but if he failed to show up in court he would owe $2,500 to the court.

The bail boiled down to paying $40, if he wanted to be released from jail.

McElwee set bail conditions of no contact with victim or immediate family and no unsupervised contact with a person under 17 years of age.
dperry@sunjournal.com

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