Columbus man accused of improperly touching child

A man accused of improperly touching a child pleaded not guilty to two count of child molestation during a hearing Thursday in Columbus Recorder’s Court.

Ardavin Laparra-Velasquez, 45, was arrested on Aug. 30 in a case that dates to 2016, police said. Represented by defense attorney Richard Hagler, who considered bond with assistant district attorney Matt Brown, Judge Julius Hunter agreed to bonds totaling $20,000 on the two counts and bound charges over to Muscogee Superior Court. He must have no contact with the victim while the molestation cases are before the court.

After pleading not guilty, Laparra-Velasquez waived his formal hearing on the charges.

Police said the alleged molestation dates to September or October 2016. A police investigation by the Special Victims Unit of the Columbus Police Department wasn’t started until the cases were reported to police in November 2017.

One child is the victim of both counts of child molestation, police said.

This story was originally published September 6, 2018 at 3:52 PM.