BELFAST — A Belmont man was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Waldo County Superior Court April 22, after being convicted of gross sexual assault.

Adam R. Cross, 46, faced three charges relating to inappropriate contact with a juvenile who had yet to attain age 12 at the time of the offense.

According to court documents, law enforcement was tipped off after a concerned citizen witnessed inappropriate behavior between Cross and a child they estimated to be roughly 10, while the two were in a local store. The citizen was reportedly aware that Cross is a current registrant on the sex offender registry, which increased their concern for the juvenile.

Detective Merl Reed investigated the complaint and after speaking with the suspected victim, Cross was arrested and charged with gross sexual assault. Cross denied the allegations at the time of his arrest, according to an affidavit.

In addition to 12 years in prison, Cross will remain on supervised release for 50 years, according to court documents. As part of those conditions he will be barred from having contact with his victim, in addition to being barred from having unsupervised contact with females under age 18. Cross will also have to enter into a sexual offender treatment program as a part of his release.

One count of gross sexual assault and a charge of unlawful sexual contact were both dismissed.

Cross, who will be a lifetime registrant in the sex offender registry, is set to begin his sentence July 18.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com