More boys reported molested

Sep. 13--A Cajah's Mountain area man accused of molesting two young boys has been indicted on new charges.

George Earl Long, 46, of Clarks Chapel Road now is accused of performing sexual acts on four children, who were between the ages of 2 and 7, Assistant District Nancy Lee said in a court hearing Thursday.

Long was initially arrested in June and charged with a statutory sex offense with a child by an adult and indecent liberties with a child.

Capt. Aaron Barlowe said that further investigation after Long's arrest resulted in two additional counts of indecent liberties with a child. Barlowe said that all of Long's accusers are young boys.

During the court hearing, Long's attorney, Bruce Cannon, asked Judge Daniel Kuehnert to reduce the amount of bond that Long must post in order to be released from jail so that he has a chance of getting out while awaiting trial. Cannon said that Long has been a contributing member of the community for years and had a good job working for a logistics company before he was arrested.

When Long was arrested, his bond was set at $75,000 on one charge and $150,000 secured on the second. Cannon asked that Long's bond be reduced to $100,000 total.

Lee said that Long served as a church van driver, which put him in a trusted position with children. She asked that instead of reducing Long's bond it be set at $250,000 secured.

Kuehnert, who didn't seem to have heard Lee correctly at first, said he thought a $350,000 secured bond was reasonable and was considering setting it at $400,000 secured.

After Lee confirmed that she had asked for a $250,000 bond, Kuehnert said he would set it at $300,000 secured. He said he was concerned because Long has been accused of molesting several children.

"At this point, it appears there's been a danger to the community," he said.

Long first came under investigation in 2002, when a young relative reported that Long had touched him inappropriately, but investigators were not able to gather enough evidence to charge him. He came under investigation again last June after a 5-year-old boy told his parents that Long had sexual contact with him in the fall of 2017 while Long was babysitting him, Barlowe said after Long was arrested in June. During that investigation, the sheriff's office received a report involving another boy, they said.

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