WEST BATH — A Richmond man has been indicted by a Sagadahoc County grand jury on 12 charges, including unlawful sexual touching of three minors, furnishing liquor to a minor and assault, and a felony count of witness tampering.

The indictment, released Thursday at the West Bath courthouse, is not a determination of guilt but rather indicates enough evidence exists to proceed with formal charges and a trial.

Jeffrey Tilton

Jeffrey Tilton, 55, initially 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 has resulted in more 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.”

In addition to the first nine charges, Tilton has been indicted on a further three charges — of tampering with a witness, domestic violence terrorizing and indecent behavior.

Witness tampering is a class C felony charge; the others are class D or class E misdemeanor charges.

The indictment alleges that on occasions dating back to January, Tilton furnished alcohol to three minors and subjected them to sexual touching and assault and, in January, exposed himself to one of the minors. The assaults allegedly occurred in Richmond.

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 intimidated a witness in an effort to get the 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 he was 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 immediately.

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 on the charges at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the courthouse in West Bath.