Sae Hoon Kang

One of the charges against a Redmond man arrested last month at a John Day motel after allegedly having sex with an underage girl has been downgraded.

Sae Hoon Kang, 27, was initially arraigned in Grant County Circuit Court on Oct. 7, a day after his arrest, on a district attorney’s information that included a charge of first-degree rape involving forcible compulsion.

He was arraigned again on Monday, this time on a grand jury indictment, court records show. In the indictment, which was handed up Nov. 16, the first-degree rape charge is replaced with a third-degree rape charge.

Kang faces eight charges in the case, all felonies. He is charged with two counts of third-degree rape, four counts of third-degree sodomy and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse.

All the crimes are alleged to have happened in Grant County on or about Oct. 6. The alleged victim, who is not identified in court records, is a 15-year-old girl who Kang reportedly knew through social media.

Kang’s next scheduled court appearance is a plea hearing at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 3 before Judge Robert S. Raschio in Grant County Circuit Court.

Grant County District Attorney Jim Carpenter is the lead prosecutor on the case, with assistance from Chief Deputy District Attorney Riccola Voigt.

Portland defense attorney Graham C. Fisher is representing Kang.

Kang was released from jail on Oct. 12 after posting a $10,000 bond.