A Muldrow man is facing a felony charge of lewd molestation after being accused of inappropriately touching a child under the age of 12.

Michael Jackson, 50, was charged on August 2 and a warrant was issued for his arrest the same day, according to court records. He received a $15,000 bond and is now scheduled for a September 4 arraignment before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters.

Sequoyah County investigator Michelle Rigsby said on June 5 that she took a report regarding the possible molestation of a child under the age of 12.

The reporting party told Rigsby that their family had been staying with Jackson when the alleged inappropriate touching happened. The reporting party said since the allegation, they had moved their family to Arkansas to stay with a family member, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case.

Rigsby scheduled an interview with Jackson at the Sheriff ’s Office on June 10, where he admitted that he’d already been told that he was accused of touching the child inappropriately. He claimed that he’d been around the child for the past five years and was alone with the child all the time.

He alleged instead that he’d helped the child take a shower and the child was wearing underpants but not a shirt, so he told the child to put one on. He claimed the two then wrestled and he’d pushed the child off the bed with his foot. He also stated that because there was only a window A/C unit in the house, that the children often slept with him in his bedroom, according to the affidavit. He also reportedly denied touching any of the children inappropriately.

The interview was then concluded and Rigsby submitted the information to the District Attorney’s Office.

If convicted, the crime is punishable by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not less than 25 years.