A Bay State man accused of sexually assaulting a boy at a Hancock campground in 2009 is scheduled to face trial this fall.
Dale Cole, 66, of Ayer, Massachusetts, is currently facing three counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
A final pretrial date has been scheduled for Oct. 9, while jury selection has been scheduled for Oct. 21.
An affidavit on file with the Hillsborough Country Superior Court in Manchester says the victim was 8 years old during the summer he was allegedly sexually assaulted by Cole.
The alleged victim’s father told Hancock police that he knew Cole through camping at Seven Maples Campground. The son was allowed to stay in Cole’s camper and even took a trip with Cole to the White Mountains that summer.
Cole allegedly offered the victim cigarettes in exchange for allowing Cole to touch him. Cole also allegedly played pornographic movies when they spent time alone together.
The victim reported the prior assaults after listening to an inspirational speaker at a school function.
Cole was arrested by police in Massachusetts on Aug. 8, 2018, after Hancock police applied for a warrant on July 22, 2018.
The original sexual assault charges against Cole were dismissed without prejudice in December 2018, on the grounds that he was not indicted within 90 days of the complaint being filed.
He was indicted on the four new charges on Dec. 26, 2018. Cole has posted a $10,000 cash bail, according to court documents.
Cole is a registered sex offender in Massachusetts, having twice been convicted of possession of child pornography in 2010. He was also convicted of assault and battery conviction of a child under 14 in 1984.