Clear Lake man jailed on child sexual abuse charges

CLEAR LAKE — A Clear Lake man faces over 25 years in prison after being accused of child sexual abuse.

According to criminal complaints, 42-year-old Cole Gilbertson is accused of committing a sexual act against a 13-year-old child sometime between June 2022 and June 2023. He’s also accused of indecent exposure on more than one occasion in the presence of a child between June 2021 and June 2024.

Gilbertson was booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail over the weekend where he remains on $26,000 cash-only bond. He’s due in court for his preliminary hearing on April 16th.

Second-degree sexual abuse is a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison, while indecent exposure is a serious misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.