A Madison man is scheduled to appear in court this week on a charge of unlawful sexual contact after authorities say he assaulted a child under the age of 10.
Matthew Jacob, 33, was arrested Monday following an investigation by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office that began with a tip May 9.
“It was … reported that the alleged sexual assault occurred at Jacob’s residence between September 2021 and May 2022,” Sheriff Dale Lancaster said in a news release Tuesday.
Jacob is scheduled to appear Wednesday in a Skowhegan courtroom for a preliminary hearing and is being held at the Somerset County Jail in Madison, where his bail was set at $10,000 cash.
The charge against Jacob is the second case in recent weeks involving a Madison man accused of sexual assault.
Lancaster said his office last month arrested 67-year-old Erwin Peary on charges that he assaulted two children under the age of 13. Peary was taken into custody May 23 and charged with two counts of unlawful sexual contact and one count of unlawful sexual touching. Authorities were acting on a tip received April 23, Lancaster said.
“The sheriff’s office received a complaint involving two children under the age of 13 that had allegedly been sexually assaulted by a 67-year-old male,” Lancaster said. “It was also reported that the alleged sexual assault of the two juveniles occurred at Peary’s residence in early April.”
Peary was earlier released from custody, with conditions that he not have contact with the alleged victims, according to Lancaster.
Peary has another court date scheduled for July 27.
It was not immediately clear why Lancaster waited more than a month to announce Peary’s arrest.
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