A Cottonwood man is facing seven counts of criminal sexual conduct charges in Lyon County District Court, after allegedly abusing two children, a complaint filed in Lyon County said.

Gerald Phillip Gould, 68, of Cottonwood appeared in court on Tuesday. Gould is charged with six counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of second degree criminal sexual conduct. A complaint alleges that Gould sexually assaulted a girl in multiple incidents between September 2006 and December 2008. The complaint also alleges that Gould had repeated sexual contact with a second girl over an extended period of time between 2000 and 2006. Both girls were younger than 13 at the time of the abuse, the complaint said. The alleged incidents took place in Cottonwood, as well as other locations in Lyon County, the complaint said.

Both first degree criminal sexual conduct and second degree criminal sexual conduct are felony crimes. First degree criminal sexual conduct carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a $40,000 fine or both. Second degree criminal sexual conduct carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, a $35,000 fine, or both.