Mitchell man pleads guilty to charge of sexual contact with child

A Mitchell man pleaded guilty Tuesday to sexual contact with a child younger than 16.

Dewayne Houser, 81, allegedly touched the child's genitalia in June in order to arouse and gratify the girl.

Originally, the amended indictment said he touched the girl to arouse and gratify himself. However, when Judge Sean O’Brien read the first count of the indictment, Houser said he did not touch the child to arouse or gratify himself.

“In discussions we’ve had, my client indicates to me that because of his age, he does not become aroused,” said Donna Bucher, Houser’s attorney, after a brief recess.

“It was not his intent to arouse himself, but an attempt to arouse and gratify the victim.”

After a brief recess, Davison County State’s Attorney Pat Smith provided a second amended indictment.

Brent Kempema, representing the state, said the state would accept the guilty plea if the indictment said the action took place to gratify the victim.

O’Brien ordered a pre-sentence investigation, a psychosexual evaluation and tentatively scheduled sentencing for December.

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