News Photo by Reagan Voetberg Dustin Haske, 34, had his preliminary examination Wednesday for eight counts of criminal sexual conduct. He is pictured in the 88th district courtroom in Alpena.

ALPENA — Dustin Haske, 34, was examined Wednesday on six counts of criminal sexual conduct first degree and two counts of criminal sexual conduct third degree and bound over to the 26th Circuit Court.

Each of the eight counts were specific instances that Haske allegedly had sexual intercourse with the victim while she was between the ages of 14 to 16 years old. The victim is now 20 years old.

The News does not name victims of criminal sexual conduct.

Haske was represented by Attorney Patrick Fragel, and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Alyssa Miller represented the people of the state of Michigan. Judge Alan Curtis was presiding. The examination took place at the 88th district court in Alpena.

Haske is the victim’s uncle by adoption. He is the brother of the victim’s adoptive mother.

The victim testified that the first time she had sexual intercourse with Haske was shortly after her fourteenth birthday in March. It occurred at her adoptive mother’s and biological father’s house, where she was living at the time. The victim said she was sitting on the deep freezer when they had sexual intercourse.

The next time they had sexual intercourse was a couple of weeks later at the same property. The victim testified that her and Haske had sexual intercourse in the hayloft of the barn on the property.

The third occurrence on that same property was outside. The victim testified that Haske laid a black jacket on the ground and they had sexual intercourse on the jacket.

The next three specific instances occurred from January to March 2021, prior to the victim’s 16th birthday. She testified that she was placed with Haske’s parents at their house that January and that Haske also lived there. She lived there from January to June 2021.

The victim testified that she had sexual intercourse with Haske multiple times while living there. Each time it occurred in Haske’s bedroom, she said. The three specific instances Haske was charged for occurred in January, February, and March prior to the victim turning 16.

The two counts of criminal sexual conduct third degree occurred in two different places when the victim was 16. The first charge occurred at Haske’s parents’ house. The second instance occurred when the victim was living with her current adoptive mother. Haske had an apartment at the time that she would visit and they would have sexual intercourse. The charge refers to a specific instance where the victim’s adoptive sister walked in on Haske and the victim during sexual intercourse.

In his cross examination, Fragel asked the victim whether anyone in the places she lived at had seen the events occurring, to which she replied no. There were seven people living at Haske’s parents house at the time the victim lived there, including her two brothers and a younger sister. The victim said that she and Haske would have sexual intercourse at night after everyone had gone to sleep.

The victim testified that Haske gave her money whenever she wanted it over the course of their relationship starting when she was 14.

During a criminal investigation of her biological father in 2021, the victim was interviewed and asked whether she had had sexual intercourse with Haske. At the time, she denied it. She testified that she wasn’t comfortable talking about it then because she was already going through a lot with her dad’s investigation.

Michigan State Police trooper Robert Mitchell testified that he interviewed Haske the day after his arrest. Haske told him that he started a dating relationship with the victim when she was 18, but had given her money when she was still a minor. Haske told Mitchell during the interview that at one point the victim had threatened Haske that if he didn’t give her money, she would turn him in for molestation. Haske claimed that he did not have an sexual relations with the victim while she was a minor, according to Mitchell’s testimony.

“After speaking with Trooper Mitchell, from testimony it is clear that Dustin Haske’s story does not make sense,” Miller said in her closing argument. “Why an individual he had never had sexual relations with would be able to blackmail him for money and say she was going to tell on him for molesting her if it had never happened. And then he decides at her 18th birthday to get into a relationship with this individual who has allegedly been extorting him for years off the basis of saying they had a sexual relationship when he claims that never actually happened.”

Currently, there is no date set for Haske’s next court appearance.