A Hopkinton man charged with attempted murder and other assault charges will have to wait another 60 days for his case to move forward as the commonwealth prepares for a grand jury hearing.

Steven Dana appeared in Framingham District Court on Monday for a probable cause hearing in front of judge David Cunis. Dana was arrested last month at Sandy Beach after he engaged in a physical altercation with a Milford man, allegedly strangling him and holding him under the water before being pulled off by another individual.

An attorney for the commonwealth requested a 60-day continuance for the hearing, noting that the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office intends to schedule a grand jury hearing related to the attempted murder charge.

“The plan is to present to a grand jury soon,” the attorney explained. She added that a notice of discovery in the case recently was filed.

Dana’s defense attorney, David Grimaldi, indicated he was fine with the continuance but raised concerns about how soon the grand jury hearing would be scheduled. 

Cunis asked the state’s attorney to clarify whether a date actually had been set for the hearing. She stated that it was forthcoming.

“Sixty days is more than enough time,” Cunis concluded, agreeing to the continuance. He warned that the court would seek to move the case forward if a grand jury indictment was not received by the next hearing date. 

The grand jury will determine whether the attempted murder charge can and will be applied in this case. The charge stems from Dana’s altercation with 21-year-old Matthew Duffy, when the men’s confrontation ended up in the shallow water. 

Duffy claimed in news interviews that the 70-year-old shoved his head under the water and would not let him breathe. During a dangerousness hearing on June 5, Grimaldi questioned that version of events, noting the shallow depths of the water and claiming Duffy never mentioned Dana attempting to drown him. 

At that hearing, the defense attorney also shared his belief that the case would not be indicted by a grand jury.

It is unclear how much time Dana could face if the grand jury returns an indictment on the attempted murder charge and he is found guilty. According to Massachusetts General Law, attempted murder is punishable by imprisonment for not more than 20 years, or by a fine of up to $1,000 and imprisonment for up to 2 1/2 years.

Dana also faces 2 1/2 years for the strangulation/suffocation charge and between 2-3 years for assault and battery on a person with a disability (Duffy was using crutches due to existing injuries), along with associated fines.

Dana will appear again in Framingham District Court on Sept. 29.