A Francis man charged with several counts of rape was in the Summit County jail this week with his cash-only bail set at $100,000.
John Gale Bergen, 46, is charged with eight felonies related to rape and sexual abuse that include one count of rape of a child, a first-degree felony.
Bergen, who is related to the alleged victim, made his first appearance in 3rd District Court Wednesday in the Snyderville Basin. A roll call hearing is scheduled for Bergen Sept. 15 at 8:30 a.m.
The abuse occurred at a house in South Summit, charging documents filed Sept. 2 state.
The alleged abuse, which included Bergen having unprotected sex with the girl, began when the child was about 11 years old, investigators claim.
Now the victim is 16 years old, prosecutors say.
“Given the egregious nature of these acts and the long period of time over which they occurred, and the fact that the defendant occupies a position of special trust in relation to the victim in the case the state believes the defendant is a danger to the community ,” charging documents state.
Bergen is charged with several first-degree felonies which could each carry a life prison sentence, court documents state.