OGDEN — A 51-year-old man has been charged with six felonies for an alleged two-year sexual relationship with a girl younger than 14.
John Michael Gretta is to be arraigned in 2nd District Court today on charges filed Thursday of sodomy on a child, aggravated sexual abuse of a child, and four counts of dealing in material harmful to a minor.
The first two are first-degree felonies with potential life prison terms, while the rest are third-degree felonies carrying up to five years each.
Gretta has been held on $85,000 bail since his arrest Wednesday by Ogden Detective Mark Ramsey.
According to Ramsey’s probable cause affidavit filed with charging documents, the suspect twice tried to have intercourse with the girl.
Gretta regularly showed the girl adult pornography to instruct her in sexual activity, reads the affidavit.
Police Lt. Chad Ledford said the incidents were reported to authorities by a friend of the victim after the girl texted her about the suspect’s activities of the prior two years.
“She did everything she could to avoid it,” Ledford said.
Aggravated sexual abuse of a child can be a catch-all charge covering a variety of sexual offenses occurring over time on multiple occasions short of rape.
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