Three days after a 15-year-old girl was attacked and sexually assaulted in broad daylight on a popular hiking trail three miles from Dartmouth, Lebanon Police are urging local residents to use due caution in secluded areas.
Police made an arrest Sunday afternoon, charging Joseph Rogers, 38, a Lebanon janitor, with six felony counts including kidnapping, second degree assault and aggravated felonious sexual assault. Rogers also was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
The girl was walking on a hiking trail east of Route 10 near Wilder Dam, between Hanover and West Lebanon, when she was attacked by a man she did not know.
The man bound her hands, taped her mouth shut and threatened her with a loaded BB gun shortly after noon on Sunday, saying, "You're going to do what I tell you to do," the Valley News reported. The man then sexually assaulted her.
The victim was treated and released from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
At his arraignment on Sunday, Rogers entered a plea of not guilty to the misdemeanor marijuana charge. Rogers will face a grand jury hearing in Grafton County court on October 8.
Rogers has an extensive criminal record, including charges for arson, burglary, reckless conduct and being a felon in possession of a weapon, according to the Valley News.
He is being held in Grafton County House of corrections for lack of $500,000 cash bail.
Lebanon Police urged the public to stay calm in the wake of the attack.
"The police department does not suggest the public panic due to this incident, but only suggests that due caution be used when going into secluded areas," police said in a statement.
At Dartmouth, Safety and Security does not plan to step up safety warnings due to the incident, according to Crime Prevention Officer Rebel Roberts.
