Austin man pleads not guilty to sex charge

Published 10:05 am Friday, November 15, 2013

An Austin man on Thursday pleaded not guilty in Freeborn County District Court to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl twice during the summer of 2012.

Joseph Henry Mallan, 29, invoked his Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial. The date of his trial has not yet been announced.

Joseph Mallan

Joseph Mallan

Mallan faces four counts of criminal sexual conduct, including two first-degree counts and two second-degree count tied to the allegations.

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Court documents state the first assault reportedly took place at the KOA Kampground east of Hayward and allegedly involved sexual intercourse in a camping trailer. The second assault reportedly took place in a cabin near the small Freeborn County village of Moscow and reportedly involved inappropriate touching.

Mallan remains held in the Freeborn County jail on a $75,000 conditional bail.

First-degree criminal sexual conduct carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $40,000 fine.