FARMINGTON – A Weld man pleaded guilty Wednesday to having unlawful sexual contact with three girls during church outings at his home on West Brook Road in 1999 and 2000.

Michael Keim, 64, was charged in September 2008 with three counts of felony unlawful sexual contact involving the girls, who were under 12 at the time. Those charges were condensed into one by the state.

Assistant District Attorney James Andrews said if the case had gone to court, a teenage girl would have testified that while on a Calvary Baptist Church mission trip to Guatemala in the summer of 2008, Keim made inappropriate comments and passes to her.

When she returned home she told her father about it. She would also have testified that Keim inappropriately sexually touched her at church outings at his home in 1999 and 2000 when they were swimming in a swimming hole, Andrews said.

Another teenage girl and a young woman would also have testified that they were touched in an inappropriate manner, he said.

Franklin County Sheriff’s Detective David St. Laurent was contacted by Wilton police when the father of the first girl came forward. As the case developed, the other girls came forward, he said.

Testimony would also have shown that Keim contacted the father of one girl, admitted touching the girls, and apologized to him, Andrews said.

Keim’s attorney, Woody Hanstein said there is a potential defense that included the girls not being specific about where they were touched, but that Keim didn’t want the girls to have to testify at a trial.

Keim is scheduled to be sentenced at 8:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 20, in Franklin County Superior Court in Farmington.

Andrews said the state will recommend Keim be sentenced to four years to the Department of Corrections with all but six months suspended, and four years probation. It will also be recommended that he have no contact with any person under 16, unless it is supervised with parental consent.

Justice Michaela Murphy told Keim that she is not bound to accept the recommendation and she could give him more time after hearing from the victims.

Hanstein said there is a letter from Keim’s counselor and 17 letters from people that say Keim had affected their lives in a positive way.