A Shelter Island man was arrested Friday on a charge of sexual abuse and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, according to a press release issued by the Shelter Island Police Department.

John Schultheis, 48, was arraigned in Shelter Island Justice Court Friday and released on $7,500 cash bail. An order of protection was served against him and he was ordered to return to court at a later date.

Police said the alleged abuse occurred in November and the second child endangerment charge is related to another incident in October.

This is not Mr. Schultheis’s first arrest on sexual abuse charges. He was previously charged with aggravated sexual abuse in the 3rd degree, a felony, on Feb. 11, 2011.

Mr. Schultheis made headlines in 2000 after he appeared at a Town Board meeting and billed himself Shelter Island’s “first homeless man.” He had been sleeping in a tent on a friend’s lot, a move that led to more than 50 complaints from neighbors, according to a New York Times article.

gparpan@timesreview.com