Plea entered in sexual incidents

Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, March 13, 2002

A 48-year-old Freeland man originally accused of sexually assaulting a child recently pleaded guilty to a charge of non-sexual mistreatment.

Clifton Ellison entered an Alford plea to first-degree criminal mistreatment in Island County Superior Court Feb. 22. An Alford plea means Ellison doesn’t admit committing the crime charged, but pleads guilty to take advantage of a plea agreement.

Judge Alan Hancock sentenced Ellison to nine months in jail, but allowed him to serve his time via electronic home detention. Hancock also ordered Ellison to spend a year in community custody.

According to court records, detectives interviewed three children who said Ellison had touched them in a sexual manner. A 10-year-old victim reported that Ellison woke him up when he was sleeping and repeatedly molested him one night.

According to court records, Ellison’s criminal history includes a 1983 conviction in Gray’s Harbor County on a charge of indecent liberties.