A 48-year-old Jim Thorpe man is in the Carbon County Correctional Facility, Nesquehoning, following his arraignment last week on 169 criminal charges relating to a sexual assault and rape case that happened over a 6-1/2-year period.

Jim Thorpe police arrested David A. Gavornik, who lives on the 300 block of West Broadway, following a series of reports and interviews that took place earlier this month. The victim, a 15-year-old girl, told police Gavornik performed various sexual acts, including forced intercourse, on her between Jan. 1, 2015, and July 12 of this year.

He faces 24 counts of rape and 145 other charges, including statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age, unlawful contact with a minor (sexual offenses), sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors and indecent assault.

In an affidavit of probable cause, Detective Lee Marzen of the Jim Thorpe Police Department detailed numerous sexual encounters Gavornik allegedly performed with the victim.

According to court papers, police were called to the home by Gavornik’s wife after a relative became suspicious that her husband was sexually abusing the victim.

During a forensic interview conducted by a representative of the Children’s Advocacy of Scranton, Marzen said, the girl stated the sexual acts began when she was 9 or 10 years old.

The affidavit states police received additional information from the Office of Carbon County Children and Youth Services and a Child Protective Services form generated from a mandated report at the St. Luke’s Hospital, Lehighton campus, indicated Gavornik admitted to the crimes.

He is being held in prison in lieu of $250,000 bail, pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for 2:45 p.m. Aug. 11 before Magisterial District Judge Eric Schrantz of Jim Thorpe.