East Greenwich Man Accused of Groping Woman in Crosswalk

A 47-year-old East Greenwich man has been charged with second-degree sexual assault after he allegedly grabbed the breast of a 26-year-old woman as she crossed Main Street recently.

Police said Raul J. Matta, of 279 Main St., denied grabbing the woman, but said he did accidentally bump into her during his walk to and from East Greenwich Farms to buy hot dogs at around 6:30 p.m. on May 5.

According to a police report, the victim, 26, told police that she saw Matta walking towards her as she crossed Main Street and he seemed “creepy” and “unstable” so she distanced herself.

At the end of the crosswalk, the man “reached out and grabbed her left breast with his hand as he looked directly at her,” police said.

The distraught victim was flushed with a rash all over from being so upset, police said. She did, however, have the presence of mind to give a detailed description, describing her assailant as a tan six-foot-tall slim man with dark hair, thick eyebrows and a mustache wearing a red baseball cap on backwards with dirty jeans and a light T-shirt.

She said he appeared drunk and had never seen him before the incident.

Police began their search, checking the East Greenwich Hotel and Norman’s before finally locating Matta, who matched the victim’s description, at an apartment at Normandy Rooms.

Matta reportedly answered the door and said that he had been out in the last hour to buy hot dogs, showing police the hot dogs in his refrigerator.

He then asked “what happened?” and police responded by asking if he encountered anyone while he was out buying hot dogs.

“Yeah, a. . .girl,” he said, telling police that he “put his arm out as she ran up behind him because a car was coming,” according to the police report.

He said she ran into him and he said “I’m sorry” and denied touching her when he put his hand out.

The victim positively identified Matta as the man who touched her and he was taken into custody without incident.

He was later released on surety bail and is due to return to court on June 8 for an attorney general screening conference.

Court records show that Matta has served jail time for previous felony assault convictions in 2011 and 2013.