Columbia County man arrested for sex abuse of toddler
GHENT -- A Columbia County man is charged with felony criminal sexual act in the first degree after investigators say he abused a two-year-old boy.
Brandon Varian of Ghent is accused of committing the sex act on the toddler while taking a shower with him at the victim's home on June 28.
Varian knew the victim's mother and was babysitting the child when the incident occurred, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office says.
The victim's mother took the baby to the hospital when a family member observed a rash that did not appear to be normal, said the Sheriff's Office.
After an examination, hospital staff contacted sheriff's investigators and the county's Department of Social Services Child Protective Unit.
Varian, who is already on probation in Rensselaer County, was arrested July 1 and arraigned in the Ghent Town Court, and remanded to the Columbia County Jail without bail.
Anyone with additional information on Varian is asked to contact investigators at 518-828-4316.
