Man charged with molesting girl, 5

An Oak Harbor man accused of molesting a 5-year-old girl recently pleaded not guilty to a felony charge, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged Carlos Smith in Island County Superior Court Nov. 3 with first-degree child molestation. If convicted, he could face more than six years in prison under the standard sentencing range.

Sgt. Teri Gardner with the Oak Harbor Police started investigating the case in September after the victim’s mother reported the crime, which occurred in the summer of 2007, the police report states.

Gardner interviewed the little girl, who described the alleged crime. Gardner also spoke to Smith, who was in jail at the time. He became irate when Gardner mentioned the girl and denied that he molested her.

Smith said he was smoking $40 worth of marijuana everyday during the summer of 2007, but he insisted that he remembers everything when he was high and could not have molested the child and forgotten about it, Gardner wrote.

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