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A Cache Valley school-based social worker — who is charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old female client — waived his right to a preliminary hearing during a Thursday court appearance.
Donavan Daniel Faucette, 34, of Hyrum, is charged in Logan's 1st District Court with two counts of forcible sodomy, and one count each of rape and object rape. All are first-degree felonies which carry a possible punishment of life in prison.
Also Thursday, Faucette pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Judge Brandon Maynard set bail at $80,000 and ordered Faucette to have no contact with the alleged victim or her family.
A pre-trial hearing is set for June 15.
Jail documents say Faucette picked the girl up at the home of one of her relatives on May 15 and drove to a spot in Logan Canyon where he allegedly forced her to have sex.
Reed Ernstrom, chief operating officer for Bear River Mental Health Services Inc.,(BRMH), has said that Faucette worked for the private, not-for-profit agency for more than seven years at schools in both Rich County and Cache Valley.
Ernstrom said Faucette resigned his post in a telephone call to a supervisor on May 17. It was the supervisor who called police after hearing Faucette's explanation for giving up his job, Ernstrom said.
Faucette was arrested the same day and booked into the Cache County Jail.
Last week, according to a state Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing document, Faucette surrendered his license to practice, which he has held since August 2009.
The surrender document states that the alleged the female victim was a client of Faucette's.