FARMINGTON — A University of Maine at Farmington student from Oakland is accused of threatening a female student with a knife and sexually touching her without consent while on the campus.
Campus Police Department Sgt. Marc Bowering arrested Ryan J. Turano, 23, on Friday on a charge of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, and additionally charged him with unlawful sexual touching, according to campus police Chief Brock Caton.
Police executed a search warrant on Turano’s residence hall room, which resulted in the seizure of the knife allegedly used in the incident, according to Caton’s email.
UMF has taken immediate steps to protect and support the female student, Caton said in the release.
The threatening and unwanted sexual touching happened Thursday into Friday, according to a state complaint filed with a Farmington court.
Turano appeared before a judge Monday and bail was set at $500 or personal recognizance with a supervised release agreement. Conditions include not having direct or indirect contact with the woman. He is also prohibited from going on the UMF campus, except for one time with law enforcement to retrieve his belongings, according to a court document.
Turano remained at the Franklin County Detention Center as of noon Tuesday. He is scheduled to appear Dec. 7 in Farmington Unified Court.
A conviction for reckless conduct is punishable by up to five years in prison; a conviction for unlawful sexual touching is punishable by up to 364 days in jail.
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