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PROVO — An Orem man charged with kidnapping and raping an 11-year-old girl as she walked to school rejected a plea deal offer from prosecutors Monday.
Jayson Quade Johnson, 26, faces charges in 4th District Court of child kidnapping, sodomy on a child and aggravated sexual abuse of a child, all first-degree felonies, in addition to tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony.
During a preliminary hearing earlier this month, a judge determined there was enough evidence to bind him over for trial.
During his arraignment Monday, Johnson was offered a plea deal: Plead guilty to the rape of a child charge, for which he would be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, and the other charges would be dismissed.
The Utah County Attorney's Office says Johnson rejected the offer.
Instead, he pleaded not guilty to all four charges. His next hearing was scheduled for Oct. 20.
Prosecutors say on Feb. 5, Johnson stopped a young girl on her way to Cherry Hill Elementary, 250 E. 600 South, Orem, and told her she needed to take a different route.
Johnson pushed her down the street to a church parking lot, where he sexually assaulted her, according to charging documents. He then put the girl in a Dumpster, raped her, and told her not to tell anyone, the charges state.
The girl immediately reported what had happened as soon as she got to school.
