A Bristol man ended up at the ACI hours after allegedly fondling two separate women inside the Midland Farms store on Wood Street Sunday night.

His trip to the ACI began shortly after 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 2, when a woman called police to say a man had grabbed and fondled her butt from behind while she was paying for items at the register. She told an officer that the man said, “Can I touch that ***?” while standing behind her and touching her. He allegedly made more sexual and vulgar comments about what he would like to do with her.

She left the store, as did the man, but she then went back inside the store to talk to the clerk. Both she and the clerk agreed to report the incident to police.

While one patrolman was interviewing the woman, the clerk called police to report that the alleged assailant was back inside the store. Patrolman Tyler Carreiro and Sgt. Michael Vieira went inside and found Peter H. Rodrigues, 29, of 41 Bay View Ave., Apt. 2, Bristol. They escorted Mr. Rodrigues outside and began to question him.

According to the officers’ report, Mr. Rodrigues appeared to be highly intoxicated and confrontational. While they were talking, Mr. Rodrigues allegedly got into a fighting stance, with his fists clenched, while shouting “fight me,” “spray me” and “I’m gonna **** you up.” He also allegedly took off his shirt and continued yelling at the officers, all while in a “bladed stance,” ready for a fight.

The two officers were able to place his hands behind his back and arrest him without incident and place him in the back of a cruiser. He was transported to the station and searched. Officers allegedly found an open pint of Jack Daniels whiskey.

While they were dealing with Mr. Rodrigues at the station, another patrolman went back to Midland Farms to interview the clerk and review video footage from inside the store. When officers reviewed the footage, they saw the scene at 8:52 p.m. when Mr. Rodrigues straddled the victim from behind and grabbed her butt.

The store clerk also told officers that the video feed showed another incident, earlier that evening, when Mr. Rodrigues allegedly fondled another woman. According to the officers’ report, they observed a second incident at the cash register, which took place at 7:30 p.m., when Mr. Rodrigues stood beside another woman and grabbed her butt. The clerk knew the identity of the second woman, who was contacted by police and agreed to make a formal statement.

Mr. Rodrigues was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault (forcible fondling) and one count of disorderly conduct. He was held overnight at the station and taken to Providence District Court in the morning, where he was presented as a probation violator. He was remanded to the ACI pending a violation hearing scheduled for June 17.

The probation violation stems from an arrest last September, when Mr. Rodrigues was charged by Bristol Police with domestic assault, domestic disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He pleaded no contest to those charges and was sentenced to one year of probation, along with mandatory substance abuse counseling. In the past 10 years, Mr. Rodrigues has been arrested 10 separate times, by Bristol, Warren and Barrington police departments, for charges including simple assault, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstructing officers and possession of controlled substances.