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Blanchardville man charged with sexual assault of child
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Hofer
DARLINGTON - A Blanchardville man has been charged with second-degree sexual assault of a child after being accused of molesting a 10-year-old boy in October.

Phillip Alan Hofer, 43, was charged Monday in Lafayette County Circuit Court. The incident was reported Oct. 16.

According to a police report, the victim said Hofer touched him under his clothes. The victim said he believed Hofer was intoxicated.

The victim said he told Hofer to stop, to which Hofer replied "No."

The victim said Hofer had behaved inappropriately towards him in the past. Once, Hofer allegedly tried to show a pornographic video to the victim; other times, the victim said he received sexually explicit text messages from Hofer.

The victim also said that Hofer had been physically abusive in the past. He said Hofer had punched him in the stomach on multiple occasions and that Hofer had choked him once last summer. Hofer had also threatened to kick the victim if he told anybody about Hofer's behavior, the boy said.

Hofer faces a Class C felony charge of second-degree sexual assault of a child. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison or a fine of $100,000.

Hofer will appear in court on Jan. 25 for an initial appearance.