IDAHO FALLS — A Texas man faces a sexual battery charge for allegedly groping a then 17-year-old female while spending a week at her family’s residence in Idaho Falls in 2023.

Dawson Lee Heath, 27, of Burleson, Texas, allegedly groped the female several times between July 15-19, 2023. He was staying with her family as part of a church mission trip, according to court records.

The victim’s father reported the incidents to the Idaho Falls Police Department on July 22, 2023, according to the affidavit of probable cause. By that time, Burleson had returned to Texas.

According to court records, the victim participated in a forensic interview at the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center in Idaho Falls on Aug. 29, 2023. She allegedly disclosed three incidents during that week when he inappropriately touched her.

Heath is charged with a felony for alleged sexual contact with the female. Sexual battery is punishable by 25 years imprisonment, a $50,000 fine, a $5,000 compensatory fine and restitution.

On Sept. 22, 2023, the victim spoke with Heath in a confrontation call monitored by a police officer, according to court records. Heath reportedly confirmed touching the female’s bare buttocks and asked her to keep what happened a secret.

The affidavit was signed Nov. 8, 2023, and an arrest warrant was issued for Heath on Dec. 27, 2023, according to court records. He was arrested almost two years later on Nov. 25. Bail was set at $50,000, and Heath bonded out that same day.

Heath is scheduled to attend a preliminary hearing at 1 p.m. on Jan. 30, before Magistrate Judge Wiley R. Dennert at the Bonneville County Courthouse in Idaho Falls.