EAU CLAIRE — One of the two neighbors accused by authorities of sexually abusing children pleaded not guilty Friday.
The arraignment for James Barbey, 54, Eau Claire, took place just short of two months after the cases against him and Robert Karstensen, 82, were filed. Authorities accuse the men of abusing multiple children. Barbey had been in court before, but the arraignment gave him the opportunity to enter a plea.
The charges against Barbey include first degree sexual assault of a child under age 13, three counts of first degree sexual assault of a child under age 12, two counts of incest and one count of exposing his genitals or pubic area.
Barbey has remained in the Eau Claire County Jail since his arrest. The court set a $250,000 cash bond in the case, a comparatively high amount. Should Barbey be released, he is prohibited from contact with the victims and may not live within five miles of any of them. He is also barred from any “intentional contact with children under age 18.”
Friday’s session saw Barbey appear by video, an increasingly common approach for court proceedings. While defendants have the right to appear in person, Barbey waived that for the hearing.
While many cases have status conferences monthly, this appearance was the last court proceeding until November. The defense requested a conference “in 2-3 months as there is voluminous discovery to go over,” court records indicate.
Court records filed since the arrests of Barbey and Karstensen reveal some of the details of the case. Authorities believe the abuse goes back to at least 2013, The men had mutual victims, though there is no indication in the criminal complaints that they abused children together.
The cases began with a report about Barbey. The child told investigators they couldn’t recall exactly how old they were at the time, but that they were “very young.” When interviewed by investigators Barbey admitted to abusing three children.
The complaint against Karstensen indicates five victims. Initially he told investigators he hadn’t abused anyone, saying he allowed neighborhood children to use his laptop and described them as “pests” for always being around. Investigators were eventually able to draw information from him, though.
First, Karstensen said he was “trying to remember a few times I did touch them,” but said he was fuzzy on details. As the interview progressed he became more forthcoming. At one point he told the officers he touched one of the victims because “it seemed like she wanted to be touched.” Later he estimated 20-30 instances where he molested children.
There are strong indicators in the criminal complaints both Barbey and Karstensen knew of the other’s activities. Karstensen said one of his victims told him they were being abused by Barbey. He urged the child to keep that, as well as his own abuse, secret.
When asked about Karstensen, Barbey was reluctant to speak in detail. But he said one time he brought a child out of Karstensen’s home. The child thought they were the target of Barbey’s anger, but that he was really angry with Karstensen.
While Barbey is scheduled for a mid-November status hearing, Karstensen’s arraignment in Eau Claire County is scheduled for early September. He also faces abuse charges in Barron County, with an initial appearance scheduled for this week. That case emerged shortly after his initial arrest.
Karstensen remains in jail in Eau Claire. His cash bond was set at $1 million.
Given their ages, convictions on the most serious counts could mean effective life sentences for both men. Both face multiple Class B felonies, which are punishable by up to 40 years in prison and another 20 years’ extended supervision.