Man accused of child sex abuse

A 74-year-old Cloquet man is facing charges of sexually assaulting a child who was not a stranger to him.

Edward Christian of Cloquet was charged with six counts of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree for allegedly performing sexually penetrative acts with a female child under the age of 10 years old.

According to the criminal complaint, the child’s mother observed Christian allegedly showing the girl pornography when the two of them were on a FaceTime call. The mother and father had their daughter discontinue the call, then asked if Christian had ever shown her pictures like that before. The young girl allegedly said yes. In response to further questions, she also allegedly said Christian had also taken photos of her butt and body, and he had also touched her.

The parents contacted the Cloquet Police Department, and an officer retrieved Christian’s laptop, Kindle and cellphone. The victim was interviewed at First Witness in Duluth on Feb. 16, when she also testified about being shown pornographic images other times and a history of being touched by Christian, recalling at least one specific occasion on her birthday.

Christian appeared in Sixth District Carlton County Court Tuesday, Feb. 22. He was granted a public defender and bail was set at $500,000. His next hearing is set for March 8.