Authorities say Cedar Rapids man sexually abused two girls

A Cedar Rapids man has been charged with a sex crime after police said he admitted to abusing two young girls.

Joshua D. Mitchell, 33, has been charged with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse. He is accused of committing multiple sex acts on two girls, ages 5 and 8, police said.

The alleged incidents happened between Jan. 1, 2010 and April 14, 2011 at a residence in southwest Cedar Rapids, according to a criminal complaint.

Police Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said local victims of child abuse are interviewed by therapists at the Child Protection Center in northeast Cedar Rapids, while a police officer watches from another room. She said the therapists try to have the child initiate the conversation about what happened.

“Part of the trauma is not just the sexual abuse itself, but also the retelling of it, and the re-victimization,” Hamblin said. “We're fortunate because we have CPC interview the child, and they're all specifically trained to do that.”

Mitchell is being held in the Linn County Jail in lieu of $100,000 cash bond.

No other information about the case was being released, police said.

NOTE: Commenting on this story has been disabled due to the nature of the offense and the age of the alleged victims.