NORWICH – A judge has ruled that a man accused of stalking an 11 year-old girl on the street and attacking a 21-year-old woman in an empty parking lot, in two separate incidents, should be tried for both crimes before a single jury.

The defense sought to have the charges presented separately and asked the court to throw them out altogether, citing a lack of evidence and improper police procedure.

Chenango County Court Judge W. Howard Sullivan ruled the charges against 31-year-old Andrew Jason Waterman should be decided by a jury, stating the Norwich City Police did have just cause and performed an unbiased line up. He also ruled the two separate crimes should be tried together, saying they “shared a common scheme” and “intent.”

Waterman is accused of soliciting an 11-year-old girl with drugs Feb. 2, 2009 and attacking a 21-year-old woman in a parking lot, pinning her to the ground, on March 27, 2009, both in the City of Norwich.

Waterman is charged with second degree kidnapping, a B class felony, second degree assault, a class D felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.

A month ago, Norwich Officer Ross Tumminia testified before Sullivan in an evidence hearing that Waterman attacked a woman in the parking lot behind the VFW near East Main and Silver Street in the City of Norwich at around 9 p.m. last March.

Tumminia said that during the alleged attack, Waterman pinned the woman to the ground and told her he would kill her unless she cooperated.