A former Coon Rapids police officer has been charged with repeatedly sexually abusing a boy over a period of about seven years in the 1970s and '80s.

Joseph L. Hunt, 60, who is now an insurance fraud investigator for the state Department of Commerce, is charged with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one of second-degree.

According to the complaint filed in Anoka County District Court, the victim -- now 39 years old -- met with a sheriff's deputy in July 11 regarding the allegations. The victim said Hunt began fondling his genitals when he was 7 and progressed to having oral sex when he was 9. The abuse continued until the victim was 13 and happened as often as five times a week during the school years, usually at Hunt's home in Coon Rapids.

When Hunt met with an investigator, he admitted to every allegation.

The alleged abuse happened while Hunt was a police officer from 1977 to 2004. He has worked for the Commerce Department from 2005 to the present.

Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman released a statement Friday that said Hunt has been put on investigatory leave and the department has started its own investigation.

PAT PHEIFER