WILLMAR -- A 76-year-old Pennock man made his first court appearance Wednesday for allegedly molesting a young girl years ago.
Harvey Alford Carlson faces a second-degree criminal sexual conduct cha-rge in Kandiyohi County District Court. Unconditional bail was set at $100,000 with conditional bail allowed for $5,000. Conditions include no contact with the alleged victim, no firearms and no contact with anyone under the age of 16. Carlson's next appearance is Sept. 21.
According to the complaint, in May 2008, a now 24-year-old woman told a Kandiyohi County sheriff's detective that Carlson had sexually abused her from the time she was about 5 to 11 years old. She said he began touching her breast area when she was 5 years old at a rural Pennock home. The woman said Carlson allowed her to drive a vehicle on country roads when she was 8 or 9 and that he touched her breasts and vaginal area while they were out driving.
The woman said that she had told a counselor about the abuse and that family members had confronted Carlson with the allegations several years ago. He had since been asked to leave the home and was living in a camper in the Pennock area.
The detective also interviewed another woman, who said she was also sexually touched by Carlson. The woman said that she had never reported the abuse to family services or the law.
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Others interviewed confirmed that Carlson had been confronted about the abuse and that he had allegedly admitted to touching the young woman reporting the abuse.
