|
Family members accused of abuse 59 charges filed in Aitkin County Staff Writer AITKIN -- A total of 59 charges have been filed in Aitkin County District Court against three family members for the alleged sexual and physical abuse of a fourth family member.
The criminal complaints, filed March 3, outline a history of the alleged abuse by a father, mother and uncle of a 23-year-old Palisade woman. It is the Dispatch's policy to not name victims of alleged sexual assaults. Because it also could identify the victim, the Dispatch declined to identify the accused family members.
The Cass County Attorney's Office filed the complaints in part based on a journal provided by the victim to Aitkin County Sheriff's deputies.
In the journal the victim kept dates and graphic detail of more than 20 instances of sexual assault during a period from December of 2003 to December of 2004 by her father and her uncle the criminal complaint said.
In addition to alleged sexual assaults, the father is accused in the criminal complaint of choking his daughter, hitting her with a wood board, burning her with a cigar and once making her lick up her vomit. The father allegedly said he would kill the victim if she told anyone, the criminal complaint stated.
The victim's journal also outlined alleged abuse from her mother including being pushed down stairs, having hot grease dumped on her thighs and stomach, being hit in the back with a hot pan and being forced to go without food.
Aitkin County Sheriff Dennis Landborg said he has never seen such severe allegations in his time in law enforcement.
"This is probably the worst I've seen, not only the criminal sexual conduct but the physical and mental abuse allegedly given out by family members. Not to that degree or for that long of time," Landborg said.
Landborg the victim told deputies her father began to sexually abuse her when she was 3 years old. She also had made a previous journal outlining the abuse, but her parents had burned it, the criminal complaint said.
Why the victim didn't go to law enforcement earlier, Landborg said he didn't know. He said being raised in such an abusive lifestyle, the victim might not have known that what was happening to her wasn't normal.
"Sometimes people don't consider it abnormal because they don't know any different. For whatever reason why, we don't know for sure, she kept this in," Landborg said. "It's one of those situations. People aren't always forthcoming. Why? That's been question everybody has been asking."
The victim's father, 49, Palisade, has been charged with nine counts of felony first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of felony first-degree assault, 12 counts of felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of felony first-degree conspiracy to commit criminal sexual conduct, two counts of felony terroristic threats and four counts of misdemeanor domestic assault. He was released from the Aitkin County Jail March 3 after posting $4,000 bail. His next court appearance is set for Monday in Aitkin County District Court.
The victim's uncle, 63, Oak Grove, has been charged with nine counts of felony first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of felony terroristic threats and one count of gross misdemeanor fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was released from jail after posting $2,000 bail. His next court appearance is April 4.
The victim's mother, 41, Palisade, has been charged with three counts of felony terroristic threats, one count of felony first-degree conspiracy to commit sexual conduct and 15 counts of misdemeanor domestic assault. She was released from jail on her own recognizance. Her next court appearance is Monday.
Landborg said three other mentally disabled people were removed from the mother and father's Palisade house and placed in foster homes. He said two young boys were allowed to stay with the mother.
MATT ERICKSON can be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.
|
Overcast, 61°
