Former Clear Lake man pleads not guilty to sexual abuse charges

CLEAR LAKE — A former Clear Lake man arrested last month for child sex crimes has pleaded not guilty.

65-year-old Saleem Abujobarah was booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail on March 17th after being arrested in Cook County Illinois for four counts of third-degree sexual abuse and two counts of indecent contact with a child.

According to criminal complaints filed in August 2018, Abujobarah committed numerous sexual crimes against a child under the age of 14 during the 2018 calendar year while he was living in Clear Lake.

Abujobarah filed a written plea of not guilty to the charges this week in Cerro Gordo County District Court, with his trial scheduled to start on May 17th. If convicted of all five charges, Abujobarah would face up to 34 years in prison.