William Hamel, 54, of Turner appears in 11th District Court in Paris on Tuesday on a charge of gross sexual assault. Jon Bolduc/Sun Journal

PARIS — A Turner man charged with gross sexual assault of a girl under age 12 in Sumner in 2009, was released from the Oxford County Jail on $2,500 cash bail Wednesday, a corrections officer said.

William D. Hamel, 54, was arrested Friday at his home by Oxford County Sheriff’s Lt. Justin Brown on charges of gross sexual assault, a Class A felony, according to Brown’s arrest report.

Hamel was booked at the jail in Paris and appeared Tuesday in 11th District Court where bail was set at $2,500 cash, or personal recognizance with a supervised release agreement.

Brown received a complaint about Hamel on Oct. 3, prompting an immediate investigation. He interviewed the girl, who said Hamel began sexually assaulting her when she was about 8 years old and it continued for seven or eight years in various places in Sumner, Turner and Bridgton, according to the arrest report.

The girl’s mother and another family member were also interviewed, Brown wrote.

When Brown went to Hamel’s house Friday, Hamel admitted to sexually assaulting the girl multiple times, according to the arrest report.

There is no statute of limitations for charging an adult with gross sexual assault against a child under the age of 16. Therefore, adults can be prosecuted no matter when the alleged crime occurred, District Attorney Andrew Robinson said Tuesday.

Conviction for a Class A felony is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.

Hamel’s bail conditions include no contact with the victim, no contact with children under the age of 12, and a 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. curfew.