Elderly Clifton Man Arrested for Multiple Child Sex Charges

A Clifton man was arrested Friday, December 18th, and is facing multiple charges involving sexual assault on a child.

The man, 73-year-old Gary Lynn Harding, allegedly had sexually assaulted at least two juveniles between August 1, 2009, and November 13th, 2020. A warrant was issued for his arrest and Harding was taken into custody by the Mesa County Sheriff's Office on Friday.

Harding is facing numerous charges, including nine counts of sexual assault on a child, pattern of abuse, which is a Class 3 Felony, three counts of sexual assault on a child in a position of trust, also a Class 3 Felony, as well as indeterminate sentence enhancement, better known as Jessica's Law.

Jessica's Law was first put into place in Florida back in 2005 after a 10-year-old girl was raped and murdered in the Sunshine State. It essentially requires a sexual predator to register as such twice a year, and if the offender is a sexually violent predator or is under a lifetime of supervision, four times a year, under Colorado law.

Harding is currently in custody at the Mesa County Detention Facility, and as of this morning, a bond hasn't been set. Bond hearings at the Mesa County Detention Facility take place Monday through Friday at 1:30 p.m., with the exception of court holidays.

As of now, it is unclear as to what happened for Harding to face these 13 serious charges, but it would seem that there is a pattern of abuse to look at and that Harding belongs where he is - behind bars.

The investigation is currently active.

[Mesa County Sheriff's Office]