ELLSWORTH, Maine — A Milford man accused of sexually assaulting a woman has been acquitted of the charges.
Howard Frye, 51, was arrested in February after the woman, who lives in Dedham, told police he had sexually assaulted her at her home after they had met on Facebook.
Frye was charged with assault and gross sexual assault, according to his attorney, Robert Van Horn of Ellsworth.
Horn said Thursday that, at the end of a two-day jury trial last week in Hancock County Unified Criminal Court, his client was acquitted of both charges.
His client maintained since the accusations first arose that he and the woman had consensual sex, Horn said. He added that inconsistent statements from the woman about what happened supported his clients’ claims of innocence.
Hancock County District Attorney Matthew Foster on Friday declined to comment on the specifics of Frye’s case but did say that the criminal justice system functioned the way it is supposed to.
“I hope that all parties are able to move on with their lives and put whatever happened in this case behind them,” Foster said.
