Testimony: Mother's boyfriend sexually abused 15-year-old girl

Jan. 23—A girl testified in Riley County District Court Friday that a man who was her mother's boyfriend at the time sexually assaulted her multiple times over the course of a year.

At a preliminary hearing, Riley County Judge William Malcolm bound over Alan Ingwersen, 67, on eight counts of rape, five counts of aggravated criminal sodomy and eight counts of aggravated indecent liberties related to alleged incidents with a then-15-year-old girl.

Riley County police arrested Ingwersen in September in connection with incidents said to have occurred between October 2019 and September 2020.

The girl said while she and her mother lived with Ingwersen around that period, he began making unwanted advances on her, which would occur while her mother was asleep during the day or while she was at work at night.

The girl was identified by her initials in court, but The Mercury does not name victims of sexual assault.

The girl said Ingwersen started out by touching her breasts before eventually progressing to oral and penetrative sex. The girl said sometimes she would tell him no or push or kick him away, but it wouldn't always work. She also said she did not try to get away from him because she was afraid of what he could do since he was larger and physically stronger than her.

The girl said Ingwersen told her not to tell anybody and he gave her a phone to convince her from speaking out.

Eventually, the girl said, she told one of her friend's mothers about the incidents, who then notified police.

Defense Attorney Barry Clark, representing Ingwersen, asked the girl if she had told the RCPD detective who interviewed her or her friend's mother about the oral and penetrative sex, and she said no. Upon further questioning from Riley County Deputy Attorney Bethany Fields, the girl said she initially was afraid of talking about what happened but that she eventually told a nurse.

Detective Shawn Goggins said Friday that in an interview with the girl, she also described an incident where Ingwersen masturbated outside her bedroom, and she said she was scared because she didn't know what to do. Goggins also spoke with Ingwersen at the police department, and he said Ingwersen told him information that corroborated the girl's statements.

He said Ingwersen admitted to sexual acts between him and the girl and that he said he'd always been concerned law enforcement would get involved. Goggins said that statement led him to believe that Ingwersen knew he was doing something wrong.

Judge William Malcolm said he believed the state met the burden to establish probable cause in the case and bound Ingwersen over on several sexual assault offenses.

An arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m.Feb. 1.

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