PORT ANGELES — A 45-year-old Port Angeles man remained in the Clallam County jail Sunday on $25,000 bail for investigation of indecent liberties and residential burglary involving the same incident.
Robert Lee Franklin is awaiting the filing of formal charges at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Clallam County Superior Court.
Judge Brian Coughenour set bail Friday at Franklin’s first court appearance.
Franklin allegedly exposed himself and had unwanted sexual contact with a woman at about 6 p.m. Thursday at an apartment in the 2300 block of West 18th Street, according to the Port Angeles Police Department case report.
The incident began when Franklin knocked on a door at the complex, told a male occupant he wanted to talk about the Bible and tried to hand the man a joint.
Franklin left after the man began calling police, then walked up to a man standing outside another apartment and asked for a lighter.
The man’s wife went outside with the lighter, according to the report.
Blocking the door to the apartment, Franklin allegedly exposed himself, asked the woman to touch him, grabbed her and rubbed himself against her, the woman said.
Franklin allegedly followed her into the apartment.
“[The woman] stated that she was worried that the male was going to chase after her and push her into a room,” according to the report.
Franklin ran away after the husband’s aunt chased him out of the complex with a baseball bat, according to the report. He was carrying a Bible. He was later seen being chased by the woman’s husband, authorities said.
He was arrested later Thursday night at Serenity House, located nearby in the same 2300 block of West 18th Street.
He denied rubbing himself against the woman “but was speaking about nonsensical things,” he told Port Angeles Police Sgt. Kori Malone.
Franklin, whose address was listed by police as unknown, committed residential burglary by unlawfully entering the woman’s apartment, according to the case report.
________
Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
