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Rape suspect charged for missing trial date

Jesse Davis | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 years, 6 months AGO
by Jesse Davis
| May 15, 2013 10:01 PM

A Kalispell man accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl now faces an additional felony charge of bail jumping.

Richard Peterson, 22, pleaded not guilty May 9 to the new charge, filed after Peterson allegedly failed to appear for his Feb. 4 trial on the charge of felony sexual intercourse without consent .

According to a court document, the girl told investigators that Peterson, who was 19 at the time that he allegedly slept with the girl, “talked her into it” while they were at his house in June 2010. She also said she told Peterson how old she was before they had sex.

Another person also allegedly told investigators they overheard the girl tell Peterson her age.

If convicted of all his charges, Peterson faces between four and 110 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.

Peterson’s next hearing in the rape case is set for Aug. 28, and the next hearing in the bail jumping case is set for Sept. 18. He is currently incarcerated in the Flathead County Detention Center, where his bond is set at $40,000 in each case.

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