Christopher B. Harper, 40, was charged in Sequoyah County District Court in Sallisaw with two counts of first-degree rape by instrumentation, two counts of lewd molestation, and one count of indecent exposure. He was released on a $50,000 bond Monday from the Sequoyah County Jail in Sallisaw.
According to court records, the victim, who is now 19, reported the alleged abuse to the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office. The girl told Sheriff's Investigator Roger Fuller that she had been sexually abused starting at the age of 7. Court records indicate that the abuse allegedly ended in 1998.
In early March, Harper called the victim and the victim's husband could tell something was wrong with the victim, according to court records. The victim's husband questioned her and for the first time, she told him what Harper had done to her in her childhood. The molestation allegedly occurred on various occasions throughout the girl's childhood and adolescence.
According to state statutes, prosecutions for the crime of rape, sodomy, lewd or indecent proposals or acts against children, pornography involving minors, and child abuse may be held within 12 years after the discovery of the crime.
After the molestation stopped, the girl said Harper told her on several occasions that she was better at sex at age 9 than most grown women.
On June 5, Harper consented to a police interview and allegedly told Fuller that the charges were not true and it was the victim's word against his.
