Maine man pleads guilty to 2000 Holland sexual assault case

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – A man has pleaded guilty to charges in connection to a previously unsolved 2000 sexual assault case.

Payton North, spokesperson for the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, said that Jamie Dodge of Brownville, ME entered his guilty plea on Wednesday to charges including aggravated rape and kidnapping.

Authorities said that a sexual assault was reported on Sand Hill Road in Holland on July 23, 2000. Holland Police - along with State Police troopers assigned to the local barracks, State Police detectives assigned to the D.A.’s office, the State Police Air Wing, and State Police K-9 units - went to the scene to search for a suspect. The victim, an adult female, reportedly told investigators that she was walking around the road when she was grabbed from behind, pulled off the road, dragged into the woods, and sexually assaulted by an unknown male. North noted that interviews were conducted and an extensive search continued into the following day, weeks, and months and, despite those efforts, a suspect could not be identified.

Forensic testing on evidence collected led to the identification of an unknown male DNA profile in March 2001. That profile was then added into a national database and was run against profiles for the next 20 years, but a match was never found. A renewed investigation by the D.A.’s office led them to contract with Parabon Nanolabs in Virginia to conduct phenotyping and forensic investigative genetic genealogy on that unknown male DNA profile. “This effort proved fruitful. Following up on the reported physical characteristics and investigative leads provided from Parabon’s forensic analysis, District Attorney Anthony Gulluni’s Unresolved and Unidentified Case Investigation Unit identified and located the suspected offender,” North explained.

In May 2024, a grand jury indicted and an arrest warrant was issued for Jamie Dodge on charges of aggravated rape and kidnapping. Dodge was arrested on May 7, 2024 and was arraigned the next day, where he was ordered held on a $250,000 cash bail.

North added that DNA testing conducted after Dodge’s arrest matched the DNA profile was that developed from swabs taken in 2000 from the victim by hospital staff. Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said in a statement: “For 25 years, the victim in this case lived without answers. Thanks to advances in forensic technology and the unwavering determination of investigators, we were able to identify the perpetrator and hold him responsible. I commend the victim for her strength and courage throughout this process.”

During a July court hearing, prosecutors reportedly asked for a 15 to 18 year prison sentence, while Dodge’s attorney asked for seven years to seven years and one day in prison. At Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Tracy Duncan sentenced Dodge to 12 to 15 years in state prison on the rape charge and three years’ probation on and after on the kidnapping charge.