By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — A preliminary hearing is scheduled later this month for a Bloomer man charged with one felony count of the repeated sexual assault of the same child in the Village of Colfax.
Timothy L. Klich, age 38, is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing before Judge James Peterson on August 29.
During a preliminary hearing, witnesses give testimony, and the judge decides whether there is probable cause to bind the defendant over for trial.
Bail was set at $1,000 cash for Klich during an initial court appearance in February.
Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf, who noted that Klich had turned himself in voluntarily, had asked for a cash bond of $10,000 due to the severity of the charges, according to online court records.
After setting the cash bond at $1,000, Judge Peterson ordered Klich to have no contact with any children, including his own children.
According to the criminal complaint, during a forensic interview at the Child Advocacy Center in Eau Claire, the alleged victim said she was six years old when Klich had allegedly sexually assaulted the girl with his hand. The girl also said that one time, Klich had taken her hand and “had me touch his private.”
When asked how many times the touching had occurred, the girl said it was more than one time, but she did not know how many times — “either in the ones or the teens.”
The criminal complaint states that the alleged victim was between five years old and seven years old at the time of the alleged assaults.
The repeated sexual assault of a child is a Class B felony that, upon conviction, carries a possible penalty of up to 60 years in prison.
