LAMOURE, N.D. - James Watson, chief of the LaMoure Police Department, faces five felony charges in connection with the statutory rape and sexual abuse of a child under the age of 15, according to court documents filed Friday, June 30.

Watson, 51, was arrested while testifying in a DUI case at the LaMoure County Courthouse Thursday, June 29, and was subsequently booked into the Stutsman County Jail. Court records did not list an attorney for him.

In both Stark and Golden Valley counties, he’s charged with a felony count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 15. In Hettinger County, he’s charged with three felony counts of gross sexual imposition.

Details of the complaints filed in Stark and Golden Valley counties are nearly identical. However, the timeframes of the alleged statutory rape and alleged sexual abuse differ.

In Stark County, it spanned from fall 2011 to April 2013. While in Golden Valley County, it lasted from fall 2011 until December 2011, according to court documents.

The abuse allegedly occurred on at least a weekly basis, court documents stated.

The Hettinger County complaint was not available Friday through the state’s electronic court records system.

Watson was first hired as chief in March 2015 after completing officer training at Lake Region State College in Devils Lake in August 2014, according to Duane Stanley of the North Dakota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, which certifies the state’s officers.

Watson, LaMoure’s only officer, has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to the city attorney. With Watson behind bars, the LaMoure County Sheriff's Department will be responding to 911 calls in the small southeast North Dakota town.

In 2010, the former lone LaMoure police officer, 22-year-old Kyle Mackey, resigned after six months on the job and pleaded guilty to a felony count of gross sexual imposition involving a 14-year-old girl.

WDAY contributed to this report.