A 45-year-old St. Charles man accused of sexually abusing a young girl for years, beginning when she was just 7 years old, was denied bond this week after prosecutors said he threatened to change their identities and flee the country with her rather than face prosecution. William M. Cook faces five counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, each punishable by up to life in prison, following allegations that stretch across three Michigan counties and culminated in the small Saginaw County village where he and the girl relocated last year.
Cook was arraigned on August 27 before Saginaw County District Judge David D. Hoffman, according to MLive, which reported that prosecutors requested he be held without bond, calling him both a flight risk and a danger to the community. Hoffman denied bond entirely. Prosecutors allege the abuse began in Clinton County when the girl was 7 and continued in Shiawassee County before Cook and the girl relocated to St. Charles in January 2025, where the abuse allegedly persisted through this past July, when the girl was between 13 and 15 years old.
Under Michigan Compiled Laws § 750.520b, first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving penetration against a victim under 13 by an adult carries a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison, along with lifetime sex offender registration and electronic monitoring, according to Michigan statute. Because Michigan law allows prosecutors to file charges in the county where a continuous course of abuse culminated or where the victim and suspect most recently lived, the case is being prosecuted in Saginaw County even though the alleged conduct reportedly began elsewhere.
Threats to Flee and Change Identities
The reported threats at the center of prosecutors' bond request go beyond the underlying abuse allegations. When confronted about the accusations, Cook allegedly asked the victim whether she wanted him in jail or dead, according to prosecutors. He also reportedly told the girl he would flee the country with her and claimed he had the resources and ability to change their identities. Before ultimately surrendering to authorities, prosecutors say Cook told them he needed time to get his affairs in order.
Prosecutors say those statements, combined with Cook's access to weapons, have left the girl and her family terrified. According to prosecutors, Cook has five registered firearms and holds a concealed pistol license, and they allege he also has a stockpile of explosives along with the knowledge and materials to make chemical weapons. The complainant and her family are currently in hiding, prosecutors said.
Belts, Wooden Items, and Physical Abuse Allegations
Beyond the sexual abuse charges, prosecutors allege Cook beat the girl and her brother with belts and wooden items, causing bruising and bleeding. Under Michigan Penal Code § 750.136b, parents and guardians are permitted reasonable corporal discipline, but physical punishment that leaves lasting marks, bruising, or bleeding crosses into felony child abuse, according to Michigan Supreme Court guidance on the statute.
Michigan's Extreme Risk Protection Order law, enacted in February 2024, gives courts and law enforcement the authority to temporarily confiscate firearms and revoke concealed pistol licenses from people deemed a risk to themselves or others, according to the Michigan Attorney General's Office. The law has seen growing use statewide: Michigan courts processed 514 red flag complaints in 2025 and granted 407 orders for temporary firearm removal, a 31% increase in filings over the law's first year, according to Michigan Advance.
Case Heads to Preliminary Examination
Cook is represented by Birmingham defense attorney Joshua D. Nucian, who has been licensed with the State Bar of Michigan since May 2007 and serves Of Counsel with the criminal defense firm Grabel & Associates, according to the State Bar of Michigan. The case is scheduled for a preliminary examination on September 10 in Saginaw County, where Judge Hoffman's 70th District Court holds jurisdiction over initial felony proceedings, including arraignments, bond decisions, and preliminary hearings for cases originating in rural townships like St. Charles.
The decision to deny Cook bond fits a pattern local prosecutors have followed in other recent Saginaw County cases involving child sexual abuse allegations. Earlier this month, Saginaw County judges similarly denied bond in another CSC case involving a minor victim after prosecutors raised community safety concerns, per Hoodline. In March, prosecutors likewise urged judges to withhold bond from a 68-year-old registered sex offender accused of abusing a minor living in his home, reflecting what appears to be a consistent local strategy of seeking full pretrial detention for suspects who lived with their alleged victims.
St. Charles is a rural community of roughly 1,930 residents in Saginaw County, located about 15 miles southwest of the city of Saginaw and bordering the 20,000-acre Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge and State Game Area, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. No further court dates beyond the September 10 preliminary examination have been made public.
