Glen Rock Man Indicted on Child Sex Charges

A Glen Rock resident and business owner molested a toddler in his home over the course of a year, prosecutors alleged Friday.

Richard Lester, 55, was indicted Monday on charges he sexually abused a four-year-old female acquiantaince at his Bedford Place residence between Jan. 2011 and 2012, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said in a statement Friday.

He was indicted following a joint investigation by the special victims unit of the prosecutor's office and the Glen Rock Police Department.

Lester, who is married, is the president and founder of environmental consulting firm Garden State Environmental, headquarted at 555 Broad Street in Glen Rock. 

The firm is a licensed state contractor for indoor remediation of hazardous materials and has performed work in schools and for municipal governments, according to its website.

"Before becoming a full-time independent consultant, he held several positions in industrial hygiene and environmental program management with research and regulatory agencies at the state, county and local level," his company biography states.

Lester was charged with one count of aggravated sexual assault (1st degree), two counts of sexual assault (2nd degree), and one count of endangering the welfare of a child (2nd degree). He remains housed in county jail in lieu of $300,000 bail.