Wilkens faces sexual assault charges

MINNEAPOLIS – A 59-year-old Grygla man is accused of sexually abusing a girl under the age of 12 while on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Dean Earl Wilkens was indicted Wednesday in federal court in Minneapolis with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12.

Court papers accuse Wilkens engaged in a sexual act with the girl three times between December 2008 and December 2011.

According to a law enforcement affidavit filed in the case, the Federal Bureau of Investigation learned about the assault after the victim disclosed the abuse to a school official, who contacted law enforcement.

If convicted, Wilkens faces a potential maximum penalty of life in prison on each count.