A Phelps County judge will hear the case of a Union man, who has been charged with multiple sex crimes, after the manâs defense attorney requested a new judge in the case.Â
The Missouri Supreme Court assigned the case to Judge John Beger, a member of the 25th Circuit Court Judiciary, last week.Â
The defendant in the case, Damon M. Bemis, 25, has been charged with five felonies, including one count of second-degree felony rape, two counts of second-degree sodomy, one count of second-degree domestic assault and one count of resisting arrest. All but the resisting arrest charge are Class D felonies, which means that if convicted, Bemis could be sentenced to up to seven years per charge in the Missouri Department of Corrections. He could also be sentenced to one year in the county jail per felony charge.Â