David Wayne Ardeneaux, 50, was charged in April in district court with one felony count of lewd molestation and two felony counts of sodomy involving a 5-year-old girl. His preliminary hearing has been moved several times since charges were filed against him. His latest preliminary hearing was set for Dec. 8, but was passed to Feb. 7.
According to court records, the victim allegedly told police that Ardeneaux had touched her inappropriately, and described what had happened to her during a September 2004 incident.
According to court records, the victim lives in Texas with her father, but the alleged abuse took place during a visit to a relative's home in Sallisaw. Sallisaw police received a taped interview with the girl from child protective services in Texas, detailing what happened to her.
Court records indicate that Ardeneaux denied inappropriately touching the girl.
In a separate case, the preliminary hearing of John E. Ekberg of the Vian area was also set to be heard Dec. 8. According to court records, Ekberg's court-appointed attorney, John Sawney, was allowed to withdraw from the case. Sawney is now employed by the district attorney's office. Ekberg was remanded back to court on Jan. 11.
Ekberg is charged with indecent exposure, two counts of lewd molestation, and one count of lewd acts in connection with a 2003 incident.
According to court records, the female victim told a sheriff's investigator that she and a friend were supposed to be baby-sitting for Ekberg when the incidents occurred. The girl reported that Ekberg told the girl that they were going swimming and took them to Sallisaw to buy bathing suits, but the girl said the bathing suits were actually bras and panties.
The girl reported that after returning to Vian, Ekberg allegedly watched her undress. She also said Ekberg made her watch adult videos, while he touched her inappropriately and made her touch him. The girl said Ekberg told her not to tell her parents because he would get in trouble. She alleged that she was molested three different times that night. She did not report the incidents to her parents until June.
Ekberg has already been bound over for trial in a separate case against him in which he is accused of molesting a 12-year-old girl in June. In that case, he faces felony charges of lewd molestation, making lewd proposals to a minor child, and exhibition of pornography to a minor. The girl was also apparently babysitting another child when she was allegedly molested, court records indicated.
