A former Long Island detective could soon be retried on sexual assault charges in Vermont.

Leonard Forte was convicted in 1988 of sexually abusing his daughter's 12-year-old friend at their vacation home in Landgrove.

A year later, a judge order a new trial, saying the prosecutor had been too emotional.

The case has been delayed for more than three decades because Forte, who now lives in Florida, claims he is terminally ill and cannot travel.

A status conference set for the case on Monday was postponed to Jan. 23. The Vermont Attorney General's Office says it is ready for trial.