ELLSWORTH – A man suspected of assaulting a pregnant black woman and of using racial epithets during the attack has turned himself in to authorities, according to police.

Robert A. Dow, 59, of Franklin showed up around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Hancock County Jail after state police spent several days looking for him. Dow was identified by witnesses as the man who attacked the woman Saturday evening in the parking lot of Tideway Market in Hancock, police have said.

Dow was released from jail before noon Wednesday on $1,000 bail, according to jail officials.

Dow is accused of shouting the phrase “white power” and other racial insults at the 21-year-old woman, hitting her with an open can of beer by throwing it at her, and opening the car door and giving her a glancing kick to her abdomen as she sat in her car, according to state police.

The woman had just pulled into the parking lot when Dow, who was standing in the lot drinking beer by a pickup truck with a group of other men, began yelling at her, police indicated in court documents. The other men laughed at the incident and did nothing to stop the alleged attack, according to a police affidavit.

A court date for Dow has not yet been set, according to officials in Ellsworth District Court.

The woman, who is seven months pregnant, managed to close the car door and to drive herself to Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth where she briefly had contractions. She and the fetus are both believed to be physically unharmed, according to police.

Dow has been charged with assault and disorderly conduct, Maine State Police Sgt. Ed Bonney said Wednesday. He said other charges against Dow may be filed.

“The Maine Attorney General’s Office will review the case for a possible hate crime,” Bonney said.

In response to the incident, a group of Hancock County residents is planning a rally for 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 17, on the village green on Route 1 in the town of Hancock. Heather Martin-Zboray of Surry said Wednesday she and other concerned residents in the area want to send a message that racism in their midst will not be tolerated. They also want to let the victim know that she and her family are welcome members of the community.

The regional chapter of the NAACP has been invited to attend the event, she said.

“I was shocked and so sad,” Martin-Zboray said of her response to the alleged attack. “I want to make sure everyone is welcome here.”