Clear Lake man pleads not guilty to child sexual abuse

CLEAR LAKE — A Clear Lake man accused of child sexual abuse has pleaded not guilty.

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 arrested in early April. He was originally due in court today for his arraignment hearing, but he filed a written plea of not guilty late last week in Cerro Gordo County District Court. His trial is scheduled to start on June 3rd.

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.