Trial starts for Fond du Lac man charged with sex assault of special needs daughters

A jury trial started Monday for a 67-year-old Fond du Lac man accused of sexually molesting his special needs adopted daughters over a period of 11 years.

Kenneth Kirchner, pleaded not guilty in February 2013 in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court to three counts of child sexual assault and one count of physical child abuse.

Kirchner's trial is scheduled to go through Wednesday.

He was released from jail after paying a $5,000 cash bond and the case remains open after 17 months. Kirchner last appeared in court June 10, but no plea agreement was reached.

The Fond du Lac Sheriff's Department was contacted in September 2012 by the Fond du Lac County Department of Social Services regarding sexual assault complaints made against Kirchner. A previous referral had been made to Social Services in Sheboygan County in which the claims were unsubstantiated, according to a criminal complaint.

Sheboygan investigated because the allegations were against Kirchner and his wife, who were foster parents at the time participating in Fond du Lac County. The Kirchners have since dropped their foster parent license, so Fond du Lac County Social Services assumed the investigation, according to the complaint.

All three sisters had been removed from their original home because they had allegedly been sexually abused by their biological father.

Since Kirchner's initial appearance, several motions have been filed, which has delayed the trial for several years.

Kirchner is charged with two counts of repeated sexual assault of the same child with at least three violations of first- or second-degree sexual assault, child abuse with intent to cause harm and second-degree assault of a child.

If convicted on all counts, Kirchner faces up to 90 years in prison and 70 years extended supervision.