Clinton man charged with sexually abusing 3 girls

CLINTON, Iowa (KWQC) - A Clinton man is facing multiple charges after police say he sexually abused three girls in Clinton over several years.

Richard Everett Clark, 53, is charged with three counts each of second-degree sexual abuse, a Class B felony punishable by 25 years in prison, and third-degree sexual abuse, a Class C felony punishable by 10 years in prison.

Bond was set Saturday at $50,000 cash-only. He has a preliminary hearing May 24.

According to an arrest affidavit:

In March 2021, the Clinton Police Department was contacted by a detective with a police department in Sedalia, Missouri regarding an investigation into the sexual abuse of children in Missouri and Clinton.

During the investigation, police determined that in Clinton, Clark sexually abused three girls.

The abuse of the first girl started before the age of 10 and continued from 1998 through 2004. The abuse of the second girl started at the age of 10 and continued from 2000 to 2006.

The abuse of the third girl started around the age of 11 and continued from 2002 through approximately 2006.

Two of the girls became pregnant. Testing performed by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Laboratory indicated that Clark was the father, according to the affidavit.

Clark was arrested Friday, online jail records show.

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