ROCKLAND — A transient man remains in jail after he was arrested on charges that he allegedly broke into an Appleton home in June while a family was sleeping upstairs and armed himself with two rifles found at the residence.

Spencer B. Roberti, 30, who is listed in the court documents as a transient, made his initial court appearance July 6, via Zoom. Roberti was charged with burglary, aggravated criminal trespass, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, and illegal possession of a firearm.

Knox County Judge John Martin, set his bail at $25,000 cash.

At the time of the court hearing, Roberti was being held at the Cumberland County Jail after an arrest warrant was issued July 1 in Knox County and he was apprehended in Portland. Roberti was transferred from the Cumberland County Jail to the Knox County Jail in Rockland July 7.

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.”

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.

Roberti is scheduled to return to court on August 25 for a dispositional conference.

Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com