Previously charged with felony child abuse, New Ulm man now accused of sexually assaulting children
A New Ulm man who was recently charged with felony child abuse is now accused of sex crimes against the children he allegedly abused.
Jesse Craig Hedlund, 41, was charged Monday with ten counts of felony 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under age 13 in Brown County Court.
A criminal complaint says a mandated reporter heard one of the victims tell her siblings that Hedlund had sexually abused her. The other children then disclosed they had also been sexually assaulted by Hedlund, according to the complaint.
Court documents say one of the children disclosed during a forensic interview that Hedlund forced her repeatedly to perform or receive oral sex. The girl said the abuse would usually happen late at night or when the children’s mother was not home.
Another victim told investigators Hedlund would wake her in the middle of the night with his pants pulled down, remove her clothing, and sexually assault her.
Hedlund would allegedly “notify” the victims of what was about to happen by sticking out his tongue or saying he needed help, according to the complaint.
Hedlund allegedly threatened to punish his victims if they told anyone about the abuse. The children said they were frightened of being hurt by Hedlund if they told anyone of the abuse.
Investigators seized bed sheets, covers, and a section of carpet into evidence.
Hedlund and his wife, Alisha Miller, were charged in January with felony child abuse after New Ulm schools alerted police about injuries to one of their children. Investigators learned of several cruel punishments that Hedlund and Miller had allegedly inflicted on the children, who were removed from the couple’s care.