A Casper man is accused of molesting a girl after she helped find his friend's dog.

According to documents recently filed in Natrona County District Court, Donald G. Caraveau is charged with first-, second- and third-degree sexual abuse of a minor. The most serious charge, first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, is punishable by a 25- to 50-year prison sentence.

Court documents state Caraveau was born in 1969 and the girl was born in 2012. The alleged incident occurred July 1, 2021.

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Caraveau has not yet had an opportunity to enter pleas to the charges.

According to a heavily redacted affidavit of probable cause, the girl and her friends were helping to find a lost dog. Upon finding the dog, they took it to its owner's apartment where Caraveau was reportedly visiting.

Court documents state the girl had been scratching her genitals when Caraveau offered to apply lotion.

The affidavit states Caraveau told investigators that he knew how the situation looked but he was just trying to be helpful and he wasn't some pervert who was touching a child.

According to court documents, the girl told a Children's Advocacy Project investigator that she was playing in her backyard and found a little Chihuahua. She picked up the dog and took it back to its owner's residence where Caraveau was reportedly watching the dog.

The girl reportedly told investigators that Caraveau took her into a bathroom and removed her pants and undergarments. Then, court documents state, Caraveau put lotion on her genitals. The girl reportedly thanked Caraveau but did not mean it, the affidavit states.

After the alleged assault, Caraveau allegedly whispered in the girl's ear not to tell anyone.

Court documents state the girl underwent a sexual assault nurse examination. DNA resulting from the examination yielded a statistical weight of 622 billion in belonging to Caraveau.

An arraignment, where Caraveau will enter pleas to the charges, has not yet been scheduled.

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