FARMINGTON -- A former West Valley police officer has been sentenced to serve one year of home confinement for dealing in material harmful to a minor.
With his family and friends in the courtroom Tuesday, Douglas L. Paulsen, 41, appeared before Judge David M. Connors. Paulsen, of Layton, had pleaded guilty to one third-degree felony Feb. 2.
Paulsen was arrested at Layton Hills Mall on Oct. 7 following an Internet sting.
He was charged with six counts of third-degree felony dealing in material harmful to a minor.
Five of those charges were dropped in exchange for the guilty plea.
Two days after Paulsen was arrested, he resigned from the West Valley Police Department, where he had worked for 19 years.
"I'm concerned about sending you to jail," Connors said about his sentence that differed from the recommendation made in a presentence report prepared by Adult Probation and Parole.
The presentence report recommended that Paulsen serve 365 days in Davis County Jail and three years' probation.
Connors sentenced Paulsen to serve the year on an electronic monitor at his home, plus three years' probation. He said Paulsen could look for work and, if he finds a job, could go to work.
He also said Paulsen could visit his parents' home, plus attend psychosexual therapy while on the electronic monitoring.
"This is a zero-tolerance probation," Connors said. "If you mess up, you will go to jail or prison."
Paulsen spoke to the judge before he was sentenced.
"First, I want to apologize to my partner, my family and friends for the shame I've caused them," Paulsen said.
He went on to say he had let down "the law enforcement community I have so proudly served in."
Because of this incident, he said, he will not be eligible to access his retirement funds for at least 17 years.
Paulsen's mother, Nancy Paulsen, read a statement in court.
She asked the judge for leniency, saying her son has apologized many times to her, his father and other family members.
"I fear for his safety if he is incarcerated," she said.
Assistant Attorney General Paul G. Amann said he agreed with the report because Douglas Paulsen, who was a school resource officer at Hunter High School in West Valley City, had gone online looking for a partner "much younger than himself."
"He took the risk, even though he was a law enforcement officer and he knew the devastation it would cause him and his career," Amann said.
He said Douglas Paulsen's conduct was even more "egregious" because his "job was to protect kids from victimization."
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