Cedar Rapids man charged with 5 counts of sex abuse

CEDAR RAPIDS — A 41-year-old Cedar Rapids man is accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl over the course of three months.

Mathurin Petit was charged Friday in Linn County District Court with five counts of third-degree sexual abuse. He is accused of sexually abusing the teen between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2019, the criminal complaint states.

Sixth Judicial Associate District Judge Casey Jones ordered a $25,000 cash-only bail. He also placed a no-contact order against Petit communicating with the teen.

The teen told investigators that sometime before Nov. 30, 2019, Petit picked her up in his van as she was walking one day and again sexually assaulted her, according to the criminal complaint.

If convicted, Petit faces 10 years on each count for a total of 50 years in prison.

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