(St. Joseph News Press) – A Savannah and St. Joseph man are both facing felony first-degree molestation charges in two separate cases.
Jeremy Gaukel, 32, of Savannah, was charged Tuesday from an alleged incident on April 2.
According to the probable cause statement filed by Officer Matthew McMillen, of the Savannah Police Department, a 13-year-old girl revealed during a forensic interview that Gaukel sexually assaulted her.
The victim stated “that Gaukel had placed his fingers inside her … and that it hurt her,” McMillen reported.
The victim also stated that “she had received several text messages from Gaukel that showed him asking her sexually charged questions and stated that he wanted to impregnate her. … The victim’s mother showed me the text messages,” McMillen wrote in the probable cause statement.
Gaukel is being held at the Andrew County Jail on $100,000 bail. A court date has not been set, according to court documents.
In a separate case, Karibino Younic, 43, of St. Joseph, was charged Wednesday after an alleged incident on April 12.
According to the probable cause statement by Detective Briana Mendell, of the St. Joseph Police Department, “Younic was sleeping over at a friend’s residence with the three child victims present.”
“Younic was in the bedroom with the three child victims while their parents were sleeping,” Mendell added.
The third child was able to leave the room, according to the statement. Younic allegedly had two of the children sit on his lap while he touched their genitals.
“Younic kissed the child victims on their lips and face,” Mendell also wrote in the statement.
When the victims attempted to escape, Younic reportedly grabbed them by the arms and prevented them from leaving. According to the detective’s statement, he also threatened to harm the victims if they told anyone about the incident.
Younic has three prior arrests for failure to appear and arrests for fugitive from justice, assault, possession of marijuana, making terroristic threats and use of a weapon to commit a felony. He also has two prior convictions for driving while suspended and four driving while intoxicated convictions.
Younic is being held in the Buchanan County Jail without bail.
