Robert L. Hoernke, 49, New London, is charged with second-degree sexual assault.
Shortly before 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, New London Police Officers Ryan Denu and Jeremy Mulroy were dispatched to the Rainbow Motel. They spoke with a 45-year-old woman who said Hoernke sexually assaulted her.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman said she had only met Hoernke once before. That afternoon, he knocked on her door, and she let him into her room.
While the woman was sitting in a chair, Hoernke allegedly kneeled down beside her and kissed her forcefully on the mouth. When she pushed him away, Hoernke grabbed her breasts, the complaint says.
The woman said she called out and a neighbor came to her room. Hoernke then left the motel on his bicycle.
Judge Raymond Huber set a $1,000 cash bond as a condition of Hoernke’s release and ordered that he undergo a mental competency exam.