A Grand Forks man has been arrested for sexually abusing two boys.
Nathan Scott Belgarde, 30, is facing charges of continuous sexual abuse of a child, gross sexual imposition and two counts of solicitation of a minor. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole for continuous sexual abuse and gross sexual imposition, and an additional five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each count of solicitation.
According to court documents, a woman reached out to Grand Forks Police in September 2020 regarding sexual text messages she found on her 12-year-old's phone between him and the number belonging to Belgarde. The messages made reference to a sexual assault that had occurred, documents show.
In an interview with investigators, the child, identified as John Doe, disclosed a number of sexual acts that Belgarde had allegedly committed with Doe when the child was 11.
In October, a second child, identified as John Doe 2, also disclosed in a forensic interview that Belgarde had asked him to commit sexual acts with him. The child was 12 at the time, documents state.
Belgarde will appear for a preliminary hearing and arraignment on March 24, and is scheduled to appear for a final dispositional conference on June 3.
