A 37-year-old Sutherlin man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted on multiple charges of sex crimes against a young child.

Cory Lee Bernhardt was sentenced on March 11 in Douglas County Circuit Court, according to a report from The News-Review.

Bernhardt was convicted on three charges of first-degree sodomy, each carrying a 25-year sentence to be served concurrently, as well as one count of encouraging child sex abuse, for which he was sentenced an additional 10 years.

Sutherlin Police received a report in February 2020 that Bernhardt had been repeatedly abusing a young girl who he knew personally, according to court documents. During an investigation, detectives determined the abuse could have started when the victim was between the ages of 4 and 7.

Bernhardt was arrested in July 2020. Upon his release from prison, Bernhardt will face a lifetime of post-prison supervision. He must also register as a sex offender.