Teen pleads guilty to rape of young girl

A 16-year-old Kalispell youth pleaded guilty to felony charges of sexual intercourse without consent Thursday in Flathead District Court before Judge David Ortley.

According to the terms of his plea deal, Jacob Dalager may be sentenced with 20 years in prison, all of it suspended except the time from sentencing until he turns 18 years old.

If the judge chooses not to follow the recommendation of the plea deal, Dalager could face up to 100 years in prison due to the fact that the victim was less than 16 at the time of the offense and he was more than four years older than the victim. The victim in the case was 6 years old.

In exchange for pleading guilty to the charge of rape, a second felony charge of sexual assault carrying the same penalty was dismissed.

A hearing in aggravation or mitigation of the sentence was scheduled for Nov. 23.