McAlester, OK – A grand jury indictment unsealed today alleges new charges of child molestation against a man about to be released from custody after serving time for child sexual abuse.
David Harold Earls is accused of three counts of lewd and lascivious or indecent acts with a child under 16, Attorney General Drew Edmondson said.
The grand jury accused Earls, 65, of molesting two children, one 5 years old and the other 6 years old, between May 9, 2008, and July 20, 2008. The indictment alleges Earls touched the children "in a lewd and lascivious manner."
"These charges are different from the charges for which Earls is currently incarcerated," Edmondson said. "Our investigation discovered allegations that have not been prosecuted before now."
Disturbed that Earls was about to be released from custody on a previous rape and forcible sodomy conviction, Edmondson July 31 requested the grand jury following his office's investigation into the case. The indictment was issued by a grand jury in Pittsburg County.
Edmondson said a history of sexual abuse has been uncovered that will prove beneficial at trial.
"Our investigators talked with witnesses who alleged abuse by Earls going back about 30 years," Edmondson said. "The statute of limitations will prevent these allegations from being prosecuted, but it will help us show a long pattern of behavior that poses a threat to others."