A Whatcom County man has been charged with molesting two girls he knew over the course of about four years.

Rudolf (aka Rudolph) Ernst Glattfelder, 74, is accused of seven counts of child molestation for sexual contact with the girls. He's also charged with one count of child rape.

Prosecutors allege Glattfelder started touching the girls in his RV when one of them was younger than 10 years old. The other girl was younger than 12 at the time.

"If you tell anyone, I'd go to jail. You don't want me to go to jail," Glattfelder once told the oldest girl, prosecutors wrote in charging documents. "Nobody would believe you."

Sometimes he would molest both girls together, and in total there were "many incidents," according to the charges. The victims told investigators the last assault was in late 2011.

Both girls, who are now in their teens, disclosed the years of sexual abuse to family members outside of Washington state.

When deputies interviewed Glattfelder in June, he admitted to sexually touched the girls about 10 times, prosecutors wrote. But he said it started when they were both older than 12.

Glattfelder confessed "he knew that what he was doing was wrong and illegal and still he did not stop it," wrote Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey Sawyer.

Glattfelder was arrested June 21. He was still being held in Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail as of Monday, July 2.

The seven counts of child molestation reflect the age of the girls at the time of the alleged assaults. He's also accused of raping the younger girl when she was younger than 14.

Glattfelder has lived at three different addresses - in the 3200 block of Goshen Road, the 500 block of East Axton Road and the 7100 block of Guide Meridian - during the past few years.

Correction: Information on how the girls disclosed the abuse to family members was corrected July 5.

Reach CALEB HUTTON at caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2276.