Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey filed a civil complaint Friday against a Portland man for allegedly using and threatening violence against a lesbian woman.
Frey said the incident that led to the complaint occurred on July 3, when Michael Roylos, 63, encountered the victim in the parking lot at the Northgate Plaza in Portland.
According to the complaint, Roylos was walking to his car when he saw the woman and said she was driving too fast in the parking lot, then used an expletive and a homophobic slur. When the victim replied, “Excuse me?” Roylos allegedly responded, “You heard me, you (expletive) (homophobic slur).”
When the victim then attempted to record Roylos on her cellphone, he assaulted the woman while continuing to use the slur, Frey’s complaint said. The woman managed to free herself and ran to another car, where bystanders came to her aid.
The complaint asks that a Cumberland County Superior Court judge order Roylos to have no contact with the victim or her family and commit no further violations of the Maine Civil Rights Act. If the order is issued, a violation could result in up to 364 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.
“It is appalling and egregious that any person would engage in violence or threats of violence based on homophobia,” Frey said. “My office will not tolerate bias-motivated violence or threats of violence against members of the LBGTQ community.”
Police issued Roylos summonses on charges of aggravated assault, assault, criminal threatening and interference with constitutional and civil rights.
A spokesman for the Portland Police Department did not respond to an email Friday night about the status of the charges. Attempts to contact Roylos were unsuccessful Friday night and it wasn’t clear if he had an attorney.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
