The Maine State Police arrested 56-year-old Jason Follette on Wednesday in connection with the sexual assault of a now 47-year-old woman in Hancock that has gone unsolved for more than 25 years ago.
The arrest was made possible by genetic testing equipment that was not available to law enforcement in 1996 at the time of the assault.
The then-21-year-old victim was sexually assaulted in her Hancock apartment on August 11, 1996. According to MSP, evidence collected at the scene of the crime that day allowed them to obtain a warrant for an unidentified male in 2002.
More recently, the DNA sample was tested by Othram Inc. The results of that DNA test, along with further investigative work by MSP, identified Follette as the woman’s attacker.
He was arrested at a pier in Gouldsboro without incident, according to MSP. He was charged with one count of gross sexual assault and other charges may be pending.
