A 30-year-old Powell man is facing the potential of hundreds of years in prison, as prosecutors allege he sexually abused a child over a period of months.

Powell police arrested Carl Dwayne Swan on July 9 and Park County prosecutors charged him with 12 felony counts of sexual abuse of a minor. Swan has been held in the Park County Detention Center since his arrest, with bail set at $200,000 cash.

Charging documents say an investigation was launched on July 7, after a child confided in a trusted adult about the abuse. That adult, in turn, called police.

In a forensic interview, the child said Swan had subjected her to many sexual encounters and told her not to tell anyone, Powell Police Investigator Chris Wallace wrote in an affidavit.

When Swan was asked about the allegations, he initially said “he did not feel comfortable talking about it and made a comment that he was disgusted with himself,” Wallace wrote. However, the investigator said Swan eventually admitted to sexual activity with the child.

Swan is facing eight counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the first-degree and four counts in the second degree.

He waived his right to a preliminary hearing in circuit court on July 25. That led to his case being forwarded to Park County District Court, where he’ll next enter a plea.

Swan is presumed to be innocent, but if he were to be convicted of all of the crimes, he would face anywhere from 25 to 480 years in prison.