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A former Kamas middle school teacher accused of sexually abusing his students was ordered to stand trial Wednesday.
Rory Bowen, 36, faces four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child — a first-degree felony punishable by up to life in prison — in the alleged assault of four 12- and 13-year-old girls in Bowen's former math class.
Bowen will enter a plea next month at an arraignment scheduled for Sept. 8 in Park City before 3rd District Judge Todd Shaughnessy.
According to court documents, the ex-teacher was originally charged with one crime earlier this year, but soon after, three more students came forward with similar accusations.
The first girl, 13, told authorities that Bowen, her seventh grade math teacher at South Summit Middle School, touched her buttocks over her clothing on multiple occasions from Aug. 27, 2013, to March 17.
The alleged assault happened in Bowen's classroom when the student asked him for extra help after class, prosecutors have claimed.
The other girls who came forward said Bowen also touched their buttocks over their clothing on one or more occasions during the same time frame, according to charges.
The last incident occurred just shortly before Bowen resigned from his teaching position, the charges add.
Bowen was scheduled Wednesday for a preliminary hearing at which prosecutors would have had to lay out the evidence against Bowen. Court documents indicate this hearing never happened.
Defendants have the choice to waive such hearings — forgoing the opportunity to see what evidence the prosecution intends to bring out in court.
It appears that's what Bowen did in this case, though Bowen's lawyer, Kenneth Brown, did not return calls for further comment on this Wednesday.
Bowen has remained free from custody after posting a $20,000 bond following his April arrest.
Twitter: @Marissa_Jae