The Bachelorette's Connor Obrochta Slams Lincoln Adim for Assault and Battery Charges

The Bachelorette‘s Connor Obrochta is speaking out about his fellow contestant Lincoln Adim after it was revealed that he was convicted of indecent assault and battery just days before the season premiered last month.

Speaking to TMZ, Obrochta — who has openly clashed with Adim on the show while vying for Becca Kufrin‘s heart — said Adim rubbed him the wrong way even before his criminal history was revealed.

“I tried to stay away from him as much as possible … just because he was somebody I didn’t vibe with and somebody I just couldn’t get a read on,” he said. “Normally I have a pretty good judgment of character, and he was the one guy out of all 28 that just rubbed me the wrong way.”

In light of the charges, Obrochta said he feels “a little uneasy” that Adim pursued Kufrin.

“It’s definitely hard to take in, because I did have feelings for her and I did care about her,” he said. “I didn’t want to see her get hurt in any which way — physically or emotionally.”

“It makes me feel uncomfortable that he did lie,” he added. “Being who Lincoln is — he’s a big, buff guy, a lot of emotions here and there, very unpredictable — and now, knowing this, it makes me feel a little bit more uncomfortable.”

Last week, it was revealed that Adim — who has yet to be eliminated on the show — was found guilty on May 21 of indecent assault and battery for groping and assaulting a woman on a harbor cruise ship on May 30, 2016.

Press Secretary Jake Wark of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE that Adim, 26, was sentenced to one year in a house of correction, with that term suspended for a two-year probationary period. Adim was also ordered to stay away from the victim and attend three Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week during those two years.

If Adim complies with the judge’s orders, he will not have to serve out his term, but if he fails to comply with those orders or re-offends, he could be ordered to serve out the year behind bars. By law, Adim is also expected to register as a sex offender.

Warner Bros., the studio behind the ABC reality show, said Adim lied about the offense.

“No one on The Bachelorette production had any knowledge about the incident or charges when Lincoln Adim was cast, and he himself denied ever having engaged in or having been charged with any sexual misconduct,” the studio told PEOPLE in a statement. “We employ a well-respected and highly experienced third party who has done thousands of background checks consistent with industry standards to do a nationwide background check in this case. The report we received did not reference any incident or charge relating to the recent conviction — or any other charges relating to sexual misconduct.”

Warner Bros. said they are “currently investigating why the report did not contain this information, which we will share when we have it.”

Obrochta, 25, also addressed whether he thinks Adim should attend this season’s Men Tell All taping.

“For him and his safety and his character, I would highly suggest to him that he doesn’t go,” he said. “Some of the other guys are more ruthless than me and when they hear things like this, it definitely rubs them the wrong way and they want to voice their opinion about it. So I think if he were to go, he would just completely get roasted by everybody and anybody and it just wouldn’t be a good time for him.”

Obrochta isn’t the first contestant to address Adim’s situation: Mike Renner tweeted about it after being eliminated on Monday night’s episode.

“Damn, I lost to a convicted sex offender,” he wrote, adding that the news “did not particularly surprise” him.

The Bachelorette airs Mondays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.