BOUNTIFUL — A judge told a Syracuse man that he needs to change if he wants to stay out of prison.
“You don’t talk about it, but you do it,” Judge Thomas L. Kay said during the sentencing hearing for Patrick Charles White, 43, on Friday in 2nd District Court.
Kay sentenced White to serve 120 days in the Davis County Jail, giving him credit for one day he has served, for his guilty plea to third-degree felony attempted sexual abuse of a child.
Kay also sentenced him to three years’ probation, with strict conditions. Some of those conditions included that White undergo sex offender treatment and therapy, no contact with the victim or the victim’s family members without prior approval from Adult Probation & Parole, no contact with children under the age of 18 without the prior written approval of AP&P and not to possess or view any materials with sexual content.
White is also facing two new charges of violating a protective order for being in contact with the victim. Syracuse police arrested White on Thursday and booked him into the Davis County Jail.
White pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2012, to third-degree felony attempted sexual abuse of a child. He was originally charged on Jan. 3, 2012, with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, both first-degree felonies.
White said in court that his addiction to pornography led him to make poor choices.
Kay pointed out that White’s recent arrest “is the definition of stupidity” for violating a protective order to stay away from the victim. Kay also warned White not to blame the victim for his choices.
“The victim can’t be blamed for this, you’re the adult,” Kay said.
Kay suspended a sentence of up to five years in the Utah State Prison, but warned White that if he shows up before him again, “I will send you to prison and I will write letters to the prison saying to keep you there for all five years.”
“You’ll be under a microscope for the rest of your life,” Kay said. “If you do this again, heaven help you. When you realized it was wrong, you not only did it again, but three more times.”
Kay said he received many letters from White’s family and friends, who wrote that he could change. Kay noted that White had served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and knows what the church’s stance is on pornography.
“And Mr. White does exactly what his church tells him not to do,” Kay said.
Syracuse police began investigating the case in December 2011 when they became aware of sexual misconduct between White and a juvenile girl.
According to a statement by the defendant in support of a guilty plea, White admitted to inappropriately touching a girl from Jan. 11, 2009, to Dec. 9, 2011.
Kay was following the sentencing recommendation AP&P submitted in a presentence report.
Deputy Davis County Attorney Cristina Ortega argued that White should serve one year in jail if he was not going to serve any prison time.
Prior to being sentenced, White asked Kay to give him a second chance and allow him to serve 120 days in jail, not one year.
Ortega said White had several opportunities before he was arrested to change his behavior.
Ortega said according to the presentence report, White told the AP&P agent the first time he acted out, “he freaked out and swore he would never do it again, but he did it again.”
The girl later told a friend about the touching and that friend reported it to an LDS bishop, Ortega said.
The bishop contacted White and talked to him, sending a workbook home with him, Ortega said. White had an opportunity then to change his behavior, but he did not.
Syracuse Police Lt. Tracy Jensen said the bishop talked to the girl, but “he was not told by the victim 100 percent of what happened,” otherwise he would have reported the abuse to police.
Jensen said police and the city attorney have reviewed the case and no charges will be filed against the bishop.
Comments