PARIS — The jury trial of a Rumford man accused of sexual assault continued Tuesday as the prosecutor brought in expert witnesses to testify about DNA evidence.

Two analysts from the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory explained how evidence from the alleged victim suggests that James V. Cole, 32, may be responsible.

According to a forensic DNA analyst from the crime lab, there was too little DNA evidence in a piece of clothing to make a definitive match, but the results don’t disqualify Cole.

Cole is accused of sexually assaulting a child between 2003 and 2009 in the Rumford-Mexico area. The last incident occurred Jan. 28, 2008, according to police.

At that time, the alleged victim told a family member she was being abused. The family member told her not to shower or clean her clothes and took her to Rumford Hospital for an examination.

Rumford police and the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office seized a mattress and a blanket from a storage locker in Rumford where the last assault occurred, according to testimony.

The registered nurse who took samples and collected the girl’s clothing discussed the process Tuesday.

Michele Fleury, a forensic chemist, testified she found small samples of sperm in the girl’s underwear and on a blanket, but not on any other piece of clothing. She said there was no indication of hair that didn’t belong to the girl.

Theresa Calicchio, a forensic DNA analyst, testified that she studied the sperm sample Fleury located and compared a sample of the DNA with a sample from Cole. The process was complicated by a mixture with fluids from the girl, Calicchio said, but the DNA strands she was able to isolate could belong to Cole, or to any 1 in 28 people in the general population.

“It’s certainly not identifying any one individual,” Calicchio said, calling Cole a “potential donor” of the DNA.

“There’s nothing there that indicates he can be excluded,” she said. Calicchio’s testimony is set to continue Wednesday morning.

Cole’s lawyer, Leonard Sharon, pointed out that Fleury couldn’t determine the age of the sperm cells and suggested they could have been old.

Sharon completed his cross-examination of the alleged victim, who is now an adult, Tuesday morning.

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