MONROE — A rural Brodhead man has been charged in Green County Circuit Court with multiple felonies alleging he had sexual contact with a girl who was 5 or 6 years old when the abuse began.

According to police reports and court documents, Steven Malcook, 47, was arrested without incident on February 9 and charged with one count of Repeated Sexual Assault of Same Child (At Least 3 Violations of 1st Degree Sexual Assault), one count of Child Enticement — (Sexual Contact); and one count of 1st Degree Child Sex Assault — (Sexual Contact or Sexual Intercourse w/ Person under Age of 13).

Starting in November of last year, police began investigating Malcook after the victim, now a teenager, disclosed alleged abuse that happened repeatedly while living in a farmhouse near Malcook’s own farm on Mt. Hope Road. 

“Steven would grab (Victim 1) out of her bed while she was sleeping, take her downstairs to the bathroom, lock the door, pull his pants down and tell her what to do. If (Victim 1) would hesitate to perform the sexual act, he would make her do it. When he was done he would tell her not to say anything.”

According to the criminal complaint, the house where the abuse began and where the victim lived with her mother was rented out to farm employees and their families.

Investigators interviewed the victim with social workers at a special facility in Monroe and she said that the abuse happened multiple times. And she told them that she was worried about telling anyone else about it and feared that other children in the defendant’s midst might also be victimized.

“He would take her to the same bathroom and do the same thing,” said the complaint. “That’s all she remembered because the rest is just blurred… she felt scared because she didn’t know what he was capable of because she knew he was aggressive.”

The defendant appeared in Green County Circuit Court for an initial appearance Tuesday, during which the court ordered a combination of a $50,000 cash bond; and signature bond. 

Court records indicate that Malcook posted bond and was released on Thursday.

Officials said the case was brought with assistance from Green County Human Services, which included using the Child Advocacy Center in Green County to assist with the child forensic interviews.

If convicted on just one of the most severe charges, first degree child sexual assault, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 60 years in state prison.