UPDATE: Bill Cosby Arraigned On Assault Charges, Bail Set at $1M

Bill Cosby, whose public persona was altered from lovable comedic icon to loathed sexual predator after more than 40 women accused him of abuse, was charged Wednesday with drugging a woman until she couldn’t move and then violating her in his home in a Philadelphia suburb.

Authorities in Pennsylvania announced at a Wednesday news conference that Cosby is charged with aggravated indecent assault, a second-degree felony.

He was arraigned Wednesday afternoon and his bail was set at $1 million. He remains free after posting 10 percent, court documents show. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14. Authorities released his mugshot.

The charges, filed in connection with a 2004 assault in Cheltenham Township, were announced by Montgomery County District Attorney-elect Kevin Steele.

“Charges today are filed as a result of new information that came to light in 2015,” Steele said.

If convicted, Cosby could face as many as 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, the District Attorney said.

Authorities say the actor drugged and sexually assaulted Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee, at his home more than a decade ago.

According to a statement released by the District Attorney, Cosby urged Constand to drink wine and and take three blue pills.

“Shortly thereafter, the victim became incapacitated, and Cosby led her to a couch. The victim lay down on the couch, and Cosby positioned himself behind her. Cosby then fondled the victim’s breasts, put his hands inside her pants, and penetrated her vagina with his fingers. During the assault, Cosby also put her hand on his erect penis,” the statement from officials said.

The victim told authorities she was unable to move or speak during the alleged assault and felt “frozen” and “paralyzed.”

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Constand, the former operations manager for Temple University’s women’s basketball team, first accused Cosby of the assault in 2005. Authorities in Montgomery County did not file charges at that time.

The case was recently reopened and further examination of the evidence prompted the charges, Steele said.

Constand’s attorney, Dolores Troiani, told the Associated Press she’s ready to face Cosby in court in connection with the charges. “She’s a very strong lady,” Troiani said. “She’ll do whatever they request of her.”

Cosby’s attorney has not yet released a statement but the comedian has been steadfast in his denial, filing a defamation suit against seven accusers.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that investigators from Montgomery County traveled to Canada, where Constand now lives, to meet with her over the summer.

Other interviews were conducted with people who were close to her and Cosby around the time of the alleged assault, the Inquirer said.

According to the Associated Press, Cosby said under oath he had sexual contact with Constand but believed it to be consensual.

More than 40 woman have come forward with accusations that Cosby sexually assaulted them. Cosby has hired a criminal defense lawyer in Pennsylvania.

This is the first time criminal charges have been filed in connection with the allegations.

Editor’s note: Earlier information provided by authorities indicated the charges were a first-degree felony. The charges are a second-degree felony, the District Attorney in Montgomery County later clarified.