MOORHEAD - A year-old Moorhead man whose wife runs a home day care confessed to police that he sexually abused a 3-year-old girl while his wife was away at her other day care center, according to a charge filed Monday. Jon Ralph Pabody turned himself in to police on Monday and made his first court appearance in Clay County District Court on Tuesday morning on the felony charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Pabody's wife voluntarily closed both day cares after the allegation arose, Assistant County Attorney Pamela Harris said. The state Department of Human Services issued an immediate temporary suspension of the home day care's license on Monday pending further investigation, said Rhonda Porter, director of Clay County Social Services. Moorhead police are still in the "very early stages" of the investigation, Lt. Tory Jacobson said. The victim's mother contacted Clay County Social Services last Wednesday and reported that her 5-year-old daughter had been sexually abused when she was 3 years old by Pabody at the home day care at 14th St.
A Moorhead detective set up an interview with the victim this week, but before he could interview her, Pabody showed up at the Law Enforcement Center at a. Monday and turned himself in. After being read his Miranda rights, Pabody told the detective that his wife is responsible for the children at both their home day care and their offsite day care.
He said he didn't force the girl but did "coax" her to have contact with his genitals. Pabody said it only happened one time. He said his wife was at the offsite daycare on the day it happened, and he had been forced to watch the kids in the home day care. The victim was interviewed Monday at the Children's Advocacy Center and repeated the allegation against Pabody, the complaint states. The charge alleges the incident happened between June 1, , and Jan. Pabody was not represented by an attorney in court Tueday.
He applied for a public defender but was ineligible because of his family's income, Kirk said. Since then, five correction orders have been issued against the day care, including a September order for inappropriate discipline stemming from Jon Pabody spanking a child, Porter said.
