FARMINGTON — The state dismissed charges against a Farmington man accused of sexually assaulting a child younger than 6 years old, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Robbins said Monday.
Joshua Austin, 28, had been scheduled to go on trial Monday on felony charges of gross sexual assault and assault.
The court dismissed the charges Friday but reserved the right for the state to bring the case back in the future.
“We are assessing our victim and decided we need to dismiss the case,” Robbins said. “We have the option to bring it back later, depending on how our victim matures.”
Austin was arrested in September 2014 after Farmington police received a referral from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services in mid-August and launched an investigation.
Austin was scheduled to go on trial in April but a juror provided more information than the court requested during jury selection and it was deemed a mistrial, Robbins said.
A conviction on the sexual assault charge carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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