ROCKLAND — A transient man who has remained in jail since he was arrested in July on charges that he allegedly broke into an Appleton home while a family was sleeping upstairs and armed himself with two rifles found at the residence, appeared in court again Oct. 21.

Spencer B. Roberti, 30, first appeared before Judge John Martin July 6 where his bail was set at $25,000 cash. He was charged by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office with burglary, aggravated criminal trespass, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, and illegal possession of a firearm.

At the hearing Oct. 21, Judge Martin set Roberti’s bail at $10,000 cash, with no third-party bail allowed, on the condition that he enters into a contract with the Maine Pre-Trial Services.

The Maine Pretrial Services, established in 1983, is a nonprofit that provides post-conviction alternatives to criminal defendants including home release programming, reentry planning, case management, and community supervision.

The judge also ordered that Roberti cannot return to Appleton if he raises bail.

Additional bail conditions include house arrest except for medical and legal appointments, undergoing a mental health evaluation, and not having any contact with the victims at their residence and places of employment and education.

According to the affidavit filed in court by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, on June 15 around 3 a.m., a woman called the Knox County Regional Communications Center to report that her family was woken up by a noise in their home. The husband went downstairs to investigate and found a male sitting on the floor with a rifle next to him.

The man told the homeowner that he was not there to harm him and said, “I have a message for you and your president,” according to the affidavit.

The homeowner told police that he told the man to leave and then went upstairs and gathered his family in the main bedroom. He armed himself with a rifle and stood guard at the top of the stairs.

Police discovered that the male intruder had opened a gun cabinet in the home and removed two rifles and loaded some of the weapons.

The suspect fled the home before police arrived, but some of his belongings, including a folding straight razor and art supplies were found outside.

During the investigation, police confirmed that a neighbor allowed the man to stay at his home since he was homeless. The neighbor had also purchased the art supplies for the man.

Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com