AUBURN – A former elementary school teacher accused last fall of touching students sexually and then having contact with youngsters recently was allowed to leave jail Thursday, but he must stay in his house 21 hours a day.

James G. Raymond Jr., 27, of 115 Cook St. was back in court after his arrest Tuesday on a charge of having contact with children under 16 years old twice last month at Wal-Mart.

Prosecutors urged an Androscoggin County Superior Court judge to keep Raymond in jail without bail.

Justice Thomas Delahanty II told Raymond he could leave jail, but he must stay home from midnight until 9 p.m. every day, a time when children are more likely to be out in public.

“Basically, it’s 21 hours of house arrest,” Delahanty said.

Raymond can leave his home from 9 p.m. to midnight daily, and only during daylight hours to meet with his attorney or to go to court. Wherever he goes, Raymond must leave immediately if there are children younger than 16 present, Delahanty said.

There was no mention during the hearing how officials would monitor his whereabouts.

A frustrated Delahanty told Raymond he was “really stretching” the restrictions the court had put on his movements after his last appearance before the judge.

While he had an “absolute right” to go to the store, Raymond went at a time when children could be expected to be there.

“I think he’s putting himself in danger” of violating his conditions, Delahanty said.

A security worker at the local Wal-Mart testified Thursday that surveillance tapes showed Raymond doubling back to children he had spotted earlier in the store.

Assistant District Attorney Deborah Cashman told the judge that the mother of one of the Auburn elementary school girls Raymond is accused of touching inappropriately complained she was intimidated by Raymond when he appeared to be shadowing her and her two daughters during their store visit April 20.

He had passed dozens of checkout registers to stand in line next to where the woman was checking out, the security worker said.

“It was a conscious, calculated act,” Cashman said.

About a week later, he appeared to approach a young boy, again after doubling back.

Raymond has two sides, Cashman said. There is the excellent teacher and there is the side that is attracted to children that surfaces about 5 percent of the time, she said. That is the side that goes to Wal-Mart, she said.

Walter McKee, Raymond’s attorney, said there was an “equally and entirely plausible other explanation” for his client’s behavior at the store. The prosecutor hadn’t proved Raymond’s actions showed he intentionally tried to have contact with children, McKee said.

Delahanty said Raymond’s bail would stay at $5,000, which his mother had posted earlier. But she, or somebody else, must post that bail again in order for Raymond to be released, Delahanty said.

The popular music teacher at Park Avenue Elementary and East Auburn Community schools had been employed by the Auburn School Department five years when he was arrested Oct. 30, 2007. A 7-year-old girl at Park Avenue school reported that Raymond put his hand under her skirt and touched her buttocks over her underwear during music class.

Raymond was suspended immediately and resigned a few days later.

According to a police affidavit, Raymond told an investigator that “there’s a little voice telling him” to engage in such behavior, and that he is attracted to girls in grades kindergarten to third grade. He also said a federal agency was investigating him for his online activity involving child pornography, according to the document, and his personal computer was turned over to that agency.

Raymond, who has no prior record, is awaiting trial on four counts of assault and three of unlawful sexual touching involving four young students. He pleaded not guilty Jan. 16 and was freed on $5,000 bail with conditions that he have no contact with children under age 18, except family members, and not be on Auburn school property or attend school events.

On March 27, Justice Delahanty denied Raymond’s request to have supervised contact with children outside his family with their parents’ consent. His attorney argued that it would allow Raymond to socialize and not be “isolated.”

If convicted, Raymond faces up to a year in jail on each of the seven misdemeanors. A trial date has not been set.