A 54-year-old Waldoboro man who police say sexually assaulted a 5-year-old female relative in 2011 faces charges of gross sexual assault and unlawful sexual contact.
Bruce A. Hendrickson was arrested March 26 by Waldoboro Police Chief Bill Labombarde and Detective Jason Benefield. A grand jury indicted Hendrickson May 16.
The alleged victim’s mother reported the allegations to the Department of Health and Human Services, which requested an investigation, according to an affidavit by Benefield.
The girl later described the alleged assaults in a forensic interview with a social worker at the Spurwink Child Abuse Program in Portland, according to the affidavit.
Benefield said he attempted to interview Hendrickson, but the suspect referred him to his attorney.
Hendrickson is free on bail. His conditions of release forbid contact with the alleged victim and her family or with any girl under 16 years old, and he must report to the Waldoboro Police Department in person three times a week.
The gross sexual assault charge is a Class A crime and the unlawful sexual contact charge is a Class B crime.
Hendrickson will appear in Lincoln County Superior Court for arraignment Thursday, May 30 at 8:30 a.m. His attorney, John Burke, was not available for comment.
