A 23-year-old Okoboji, Iowa man is being held in the Mower County Jail after the mother of an 8-year-old boy accused him of molesting her son.

Thursday, March 07, 2002

A 23-year-old Okoboji, Iowa man is being held in the Mower County Jail after the mother of an 8-year-old boy accused him of molesting her son.

According to police reports, the woman used the man as a babysitter in 2001, when the man was living in Austin, but she does not know when the incidents occurred. She was first alerted to the problem a few days ago when she found her son lying on top of another boy in a sexual position. When she asked her son what he was doing he replied, "this is what (the man) taught me."

Her son says the man would watch pornographic movies while touching the boy inappropriately.

Money stolen from local business

A 46-year-old Austin woman has been accused of embezzeling $19,000 from her employer over the past 12 months.

Austin Police Chief Paul Philipp says that according to her employer, the woman was not recording many of her sales and the employer estimates they have potentially lost up to $80,000 during the past four years.

The woman was arrested yesterday and when interviewed by police officers, she admitted to taking $1,500 to $3,000 over the last three months.

Call Amanda L. Rohde at 434-2214 or e-mail her at amanda.rohde@austindailyherald.com