BISMARCK -- An 18-year-old Bismarck man could receive up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of having sex with a 14-year-old girl.
Preston Evan Lerew was charged in South Central District Court in Burleigh County on May 8 with felony gross sexual imposition. He made his first court appearance Wednesday before Judge Bruce Haskell.
The affidavit states that on March 23, a Burleigh County Sheriff's Department deputy was assigned to investigate the alleged incident, after the 14-year-old girl told a relative that she had sex with Lerew and was possibly pregnant.
The relative informed a social worker, who notified law enforcement.
In an April 15 interview, the girl said she and Lerew had sex at a house party and that, when she sent him a text message saying she thought she was pregnant, he allegedly replied that he would "help support the baby."
