WATERVILLE -- Police Monday night arrested a sex offender after he allegedly inappropriately touched a 6-year-old girl at the Ken-A-Set thrift shop on Main Street downtown, according to police Chief Joseph Massey.

Massey said the girl told her father of the 4:45 p.m. incident and the father chased the offender down and detained him until officers arrived.

Leroy Fuller, 66, of 195 Main St., Apt. 5, was arrested and charged with unlawful sexual contact, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, according to Sgt. Jeffrey Bearce, who arrested him.

Bearce arrived at Ken-A-Set and met with the child, her 9-year-old sister and their father.

"The 6-year-old related to me that she was in the toy section and an elderly gentleman gave her a stuffed toy and talked to her and then grabbed her in the private area," Bearce said.

The man then walked away, returned and repeated the act, according to Bearce. After he left again, the girl told her sister, who told their father about the incident. The offender had left the store, and the father ran after him, Bearce said.

"Dad ran out of the store and brought him back into the building," he said. "When I came, the elderly gentleman was sitting in a chair. The young girl pointed to the elderly gentleman who was sitting in the chair. I proceeded to interview him."

The girls and their father were taken to the Police Department and interviewed by a detective, he said.

"I interviewed Mr. Fuller," Bearce said. "He was not very honest or forthcoming with information. He is a registered sex offender."

Fuller was convicted of gross sexual assault in 1980, as well as sexual misconduct with a child and visual sexual aggression against a child in 2004, Bearce said.

"His convictions date back to 1959 -- assault and battery, breaking and entering, giving liquor to a minor way back in 1964," he said.

Bail for fuller was set at $50,000 cash, he said.

"We -- and that's why the bail is so high -- we and the bail commissioner consider him a threat to the community," Bearce said.

As part of his bail, Fuller is to have no unsupervised contact with a child under the age of 18; he is not to go to Ken-A-Set; and he is not to have contact with the 6-year-old victim, Bearce said.

At about 6:30 p.m., Fuller was being taken to Kennebec County Jail in Augusta.

Massey said Fuller apparently had been frequenting the Ken-A-Set store and employees there seemed to know him.

He said, fortunately, the girl was sharp and told someone about the incident right away and her parents had a chance to talk to her about it.

"Hopefully, it has a minimum impact on her," Massey said. "As a police chief, I'm very concerned about the number of sex offenders we have in this community and I'm fully aware that some will re-offend ...."

He said parents need to be extra vigilant about the sex offender situation and talk to their children about it.

Amy Calder -- 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com