A 30-year-old Beresford man is facing over forty felony charges including rape and possession of child porn after a Beresford store clerk tipped off police.
Mark Cornish is facing first-degree rape, sexual exploitation of a minor, and thirty-nine counts of possession of child porn.
According to court documents, the investigation began after an employee at Family Dollar in Beresford called police describing behavior she described as “flirtatious” between Cornish and a 13-year-old girl. Officers reviewed security footage of the reported incident and called the girl’s parents for an interview.
The documents say the victim admitted she had kissed, hugged, and cuddled with Cornish at his residence. The victim admitted to authorities she had sent child pornography to Cornish. When asked about “physical touching”, the victim told authorities she “didn’t remember.”
Authorities seized Cornish’s electronic devices and interviewed him. Cornish denied any wrongdoing. Court documents say authorities discovered child pornography on the seized devices and an arrest warrant was issued.
Cornish had his initial court appearance Monday afternoon.
