WILLMAR -- Harvey Alford Carlson, 77, of Pennock, was found guilty Thursday of second-degree criminal sexual conduct for molesting a girl when she was 5 to 11 years old.
The verdict, handed down by Judge Michael J. Thompson, came after a two-day court trial in Kandiyohi County District Court. Carlson was or-dered to be taken into custody and will be sentenced June 25.
He will be sentenced under the state statutes from 1988 to 1994, when the abuse happened. Due to changes in the law, it is unclear what his sentence will be, according to Connie Crowell, who prosecuted the case for the County Attorney's Office.
"We will ask for a fair and just sentence," she said. Under the current sentencing guidelines, the presumptive sentence would be 12 years in prison.
The victim, now a 26-year-old woman, testified she was sexually touched by Carlson, either at a rural Pennock home or while they were driving on country roads in the area. Several other women, now in their 50s, also testified that Carlson assaulted them in a very similar manner or that they witnessed the abuse, all when they were 10 years old or younger, Crowell said.
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Carlson's trial began in March and then was continued after new evidence was introduced. That evidence, a recording of family members confronting Carlson about the abuse, and his admission to the abuse, was played during the trial.
