Mills Man Pleads Not Guilty to Charges of Sexual Abuse of a Minor

A Mills man pleaded not guilty to child sex crimes during his arraignment in Natrona County District Court on Friday.

Charles Hullinger, who was born in 1980, entered the plea to the five total counts, including first- and third-degree sexual abuse of a minor, before District Court Judge Joshua Eames.

The judge kept Hullinger's bond at $100,000.

Eames set his trial date for April 24.

The alleged victim was born in 2003 and told investigators that the assaults occurred on May 2, 2022, Jan. 31, 2022, and three times on Sept. 10, 2019, according to the criminal warrant filed in Natrona County Circuit Court on Dec. 14.

According to the affidavit supporting the criminal complaint, the case started when a Mills Police detective responded to a report of a child sex offense by a young woman who said Hullinger had been raping her since she was 8.

The alleged assaults occurred in Natrona, Campbell and Converse counties, according to the affidavit

The last sexual assault occurred on April 26, 2022, according to the affidavit.

On May 3, 2022, a forensic interviewer with the Children's Advocacy Project interviewed the alleged victim at its office at 350 N. Ash St., and the Mills detective observed the interview by video.

During the interview, the alleged victim recounted details from the assaults that had occurred.

On May 10, 2022, Hullinger came voluntarily to at the Mills Police Department for an interview with he detective, according to the affidavit.

Hullinger denied having any sexual contact with the alleged victim, including after she turned 18.

He agreed to let the detective take a mouth-swab DNA sample

The detective later said he didn't believe Hullinger had told him everything.

Hullinger responded that "he probably was too afraid to admit what happened, because he did not want to lose his marriage," according to the affidavit.

The affidavit said law enforcement officers sent items to the Wyoming State Crime Laboratory for testing: swabs from Hullinger and the alleged victim; swabs from a baseboard; swabs from the wall at the head of the bed; and swabs from the middle and foot of the bed.

As a result of the interviews and the results from the crime lab, the detective recommended filing one sexual assault charge and one sexual abuse of a minor charge.

The Natrona County District Attorney's Office added three more charges.

Hullinger was arrested and heard the charges against him during his initial appearance in Natrona County Circuit Court on Dec. 16, and he was bound over to District Court for trial.