A Linden man has been bound over on charges connected to allegations that he inappropriately touched children at a daycare operated by his wife.

60-year-old Douglas William Walsh was originally charged with four counts of 2nd degree criminal sexual conduct involving two alleged victims under the age of 13. He was arraigned on two more counts of the same charge earlier this month and then bound over to Genesee County Circuit Court.

The charges stem from incidents that reportedly occurred in August of 2014 at the in-home family child care center operated by Walsh’s wife, Jana. Authorities conducted interviews in June with a nine-year-old girl and an eleven-year-old girl, both of whom said Walsh touched them in their genital area on more than one occasion in the basement and upstairs of the home.

The child care home had its license suspended in July by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs as a result of the allegations, though its operator is not facing any charges. Jana Walsh is prohibited from operating a family childcare home at any other address and cannot accept children for care. She does however have the right to appeal the suspension order.

Future court dates have not been scheduled for Douglas Walsh, who was released on a $60,000 bond. His attorney has previously said his client maintains his innocence. If convicted, Walsh faces up to 15 years in prison. (DK)