Craig Edward Lee Thompson Jr., 33, of Waterloo is being "charged with three counts of Second-Degree Sexual Abuse for allegedly sexually abusing children, all under the age of 10," as reported by KWWL.

Law enforcement in the Cedar Valley was notified about the possibility of the abuse in March of this year, the three girls, who will remain nameless, were interviewed by detectives at the Allen Hospital Child Protection Center on March 31. The girls stated that the continued abuse had happened as recently as March 11.

The following day, Thompson admitted to the sexual assault of the girls on several ocassions.

After looking into the contents on Thompson's phone, law enforcement discovered sexually explicit content involving him and the three children.

The report from KWWL adds that "Thompson is currently in custody at the Black Hawk County Jail and his bail has been set at $1 million."

According to the Iowa County Attorney's Association, "Sexual abuse in the second degree is a Class 'B' felony with a maximum prison term of 25 years. This crime captures the large majority of the hard core perpetrators of child sexual abuse, where the victim is under the age of twelve. And, if convicted, it carries a 'mandatory minimum' sentence of 17.5 years in prison. There are no exceptions. The interaction of three important sections of the Iowa Criminal Code create this 'mandatory minimum' sentence."

The site adds the following information, regarding child sexual abuse. "The vast majority (90% or more) of child sexual abuse offenders are known and often related to the victim. In addition to the trauma of testifying, strong family pressure, using guilt and emotional and economic strain are often heaped upon child victims to not proceed with prosecution. When long, mandatory minimum sentences are involved, those pressures are greatly increased. It is absolutely vital for prosecutors in these situations to have options and flexibility in charging and sentencing in order to ensure a conviction. Without the latter, many child sexual offenders will go unpunished, will escape the registry, and will be free to victimize other children."

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