A Jackson County man faces 10 counts of child molesting after Seymour police received information in February about a male having sexual relations with a female minor, police report.

Charles D. Heatherly, 60, of Seymour was initially arrested Thursday on eight preliminary counts of child molesting, all Level 1 felonies.

Detectives with the Seymour Police Department’s investigations division learned during the investigation that the suspect had an ongoing sexual relationship with the child from the age of 5 until the age of 13, according to a news release from Lt. C.J. Foster.

Foster said interviews were conducted with Heatherly and he initially denied the allegations.

On Thursday, Heatherly was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown at 4:27 p.m. He declined to be interviewed at that time. He was being held Friday without bond pending his initial court appearance in Jackson Circuit Court in Brownstown.

Also Thursday, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges with the court in the case, and Heatherly now faces one count of child molesting, a Class A felony, and nine counts of child molesting, all Level 1 felonies. He also faces an enhanced charge for being a repeat sex offender. The Class A felony charge stems from an incident dating to 2014 before a change in the criminal code.

A Level 1 felony is punishable by 20 to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 if convicted.

The investigation stems from an Indiana Department of Child Services report of child abuse on Feb. 2.