GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – A man is facing multiple charges stemming from incidents that included taking a vehicle from a local car dealership and the alleged sexual assault of a teenager.
According to criminal complaints obtained by Local 5, 26-year-old Robert Starnes is accused of two charges for different incidents. The first incident reportedly happened on June 20, when Green Bay Police responded to a reported theft at Broadway Automotive on South Military Avenue.
An employee said that Starnes came to the dealership around 10:30 a.m. on a bicycle and asked to test drive a 2017 orange Dodge Charger. After his driver’s license was scanned, Starnes was given the keys to the vehicle and he left.
When the store closed at 7 p.m., the vehicle was still not returned. Company policy reportedly called for the vehicle to be reported as stolen. Green Bay Police were told that the company wished to have Starnes charged with theft.
The value of the vehicle was reported as over $22,000.
One day later around 4:45 p.m., the same vehicle was dropped off by Starnes. Staff did say there was no verbal or written agreement for when the vehicle needed to be returned, but Starnes did not inform of the intention to keep the vehicle overnight.
There was no damage to the vehicle and police let Starnes know that a referral was getting sent to the district attorney’s office for charges.
The second incident allegedly happened on July 18, as authorities were sent to the Bay Park Square Mall for a reported sexual assault incident. The victim was a 15-year-old girl.
She told authorities that a man, later identified as Starnes, came up behind her and grabbed her butt. The victim’s boss reportedly went to confront him after this happened, and Starnes reportedly laughed.
The boss was able to take a photo of him.
On July 25, Starnes voluntarily went to speak with officers about the case. He said that he did not know about the incident with the girl. When Starnes was shown the photo taken by the victim’s boss, he confirmed that he was the one in the picture.
Starnes reportedly did not give a statement.
He is facing the following charges for the two incidents:
- Second Degree Sexual Assualt of a Child under 16 Years of Age
- Felony
- Up to 40 years in prison
- Drive or Operate a Vehicle Without Owner’s Consent
- Felony
- Up to three and a half years in prison
Court records show that Starnes is scheduled to have his preliminary hearing for both cases on August 16. He signed a signature bond of $2,500 and one of $20,000.
No additional information was provided.
