A small town’s so-called “candyman” faces child sex charges spanning two decades

Creative Commons/Flickr/Jason Meredith

Police arrested Carl Axel Hagnas on child sex abuse charges for incidents that allegedly began in 1992 and continued until 2015. Hagnas was known in his hometown of Warrenton, Oregon as “The Candyman” because he frequently gave candy to children in the town.

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The Clatsop County Circuit Court warrant that led to the August 25 arrest listed twelve charges of first-degree sexual abuse and one charge of first-degree sodomy. The charges are the result of numerous investigations over the past few years, KAST reports. He reportedly abused one child eight times between 1992 and 1996, but those crimes weren’t reported until 2015 — the same year he abused two other young girls.

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Hagnas was a handyman in the town and was well-known. He also volunteered at Ocean View Cemetery; where some of the crimes reportedly took place, according to the Daily Astorian. He manages a number of rental properties in the town and performs small jobs around the community. He was previously arrested and convicted in 1991 on charges of manufacturing and delivering a controlled substance.

A press release from the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Department states that “Hagnas was known to the victims and their families as a friend.” If convicted on the charges, he could face up to 81 years in prison, according to the Daily Astorian.

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