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An Army recruiter working at Tooele High School was charged Wednesday with raping a female student.
Brian Joseph Dragon, 32, of Herriman, was charged in 3rd District Court with three counts of first-degree felony rape, which is punishable by up to life in prison.
Dragon, who was booked into the Tooele County jail on Saturday, was released Wednesday after posting $45,000 bail, court records show.
An initial court appearance was set for Jan. 3.
The 17-year-old female student reported the alleged sexual abuse to police on Friday after a male student told school administrators about "suspicious behavior" he witnessed between the girl and the recruiter, according to a news release from Tooele City police.
A probable cause statement filed in court says that behavior included spending time with the female student in a portable classroom on school property with the doors locked and windows covered.
The girl later told police that she and Dragon had been alone on several occasions in the portable classroom, where he had touched her breasts and they had sex intercourse three times.
The charges allege the crimes occurred between Oct. 1 and Dec. 3.
Dragon had been working as a military recruiter at the school since August, said Tooele County School District spokeswoman Marie Denson. He was not employed by the district, but worked at the high school through a partnership with the Army as a "Students Taking Active Roles" instructor.
Utah Army spokesman Jeff Ross said Dragon had been working as a recruiter since November 2014 following two combat tours as an infantryman, including one in Afghanistan. The recruiting position, based at a center in West Valley City, was supposed to be a three-year break from combat, allowing Dragon to return to the field in late 2017.
It is unclear, Ross said, what effect the allegations could have on Dragon's future military service.
Ross said Dragon had been taken off recruiting and placed in an administrative role