EBS STAFF
BIG SKY – A Big Sky man appeared in court on Jan. 10 after being accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, reports The Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
Mason Suppes, 21, has been charged with sexual intercourse without consent. Suppes appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court by video from Gallatin County Detention Center, where Judge Bryan Adams set Suppes’ bail at $150,000.
The charge stems from an accusation that Suppes allegedly forced a 13-year-old girl to have sexual intercourse with him four times at locations in Big Sky and Gallatin Gateway while the girl and her family were staying in Big Sky last July.
The girl disclosed the incidents to her parents in November 2021 and the family, who resides in Yellowstone County, reported the incidents to the Billings Police Department.
A parent of the girl in December 2021 provided law enforcement with videos and screenshots of messages, including a message where Suppes asked the girl to send him an explicit photo, according to the court documents.
The Chronicle reports that in an interview with law enforcement, Suppes denied having sexual contact with the girl and claimed that he had not contacted her since September 2021. Suppes later said he had been in contact with her and did have sexual contact with her, though he did not admit to the full extent of allegations expressed in the arresting documents.
Montana mandates a minimum four-year prison sentence for those convicted of sexual intercourse without consent if they are four or more years older than a victim who is under 16 years old.
When issuing bail, Adams said he considered raising the bail higher than what the prosecutors recommended of $150,000 due to Suppes’ criminal history which includes a limited extradition warrant for a case involving sexual assault in Washington.
