Ex-officer sentenced in sex with teen case that victim says she didn't want filed

Ex-officer sentenced in sex with teen case that victim says she didn't want filed

(Davis County Jail)


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SALT LAKE CITY — A former Unified police officer who admitted to having sex with a teenage girl was sentenced Friday to community service and ordered to be placed on the sex offender registry.

But as the sentence was handed down Friday, the now 18-year-old woman begged 3rd District Judge Katie Bernards-Goodman for mercy on the former officer's behalf in a case she said she never wanted filed.

The system, she said, "tied a noose around his neck and put the rope in my hand."

Regan Edward Anson, 26, stood gripping the back of a chair and watched as the woman in a white lace dress with braids in her hair read a lengthy, passionate plea.

"He did his duty and he saved me," the woman said, weeping. "Sex was the smallest part of this and we shared so much more than our bodies. … When I met Regan, I thanked God for bringing him into my life."

The woman ended her remarks with a prayer.

"God is my peace and I am here to give you all peace and tell you there is more to life than judging," she said. "I hope for all of you that this was worth it."

With an, "Amen," she rushed from the courtroom, weeping.

At the end of the hearing, Anson briefly addressed the court, saying he knew the woman had struggled since the case was filed but that he didn't know the depth of what she had gone through.

"If I had a chance to talk to her, I would beg her forgiveness, because this is entirely my responsibility," Anson said.

Before the case was filed, Anson had never had so much as a speeding ticket, he said. His told the judge he knew his actions were unacceptable and shamed the badge he had sworn an oath to protect and destroyed the relationships with his former colleagues in law enforcement.

"There are no words to describe what this has done to my life, and I would give anything to take it back," he said. He went on to ask the judge, "Let me go back to my life and let me rebuild what little I have left."

Anson pleaded guilty in March to three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a 16-or 17-year-old, a third-degree felony. He was originally charged with five counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.

While investigating an unrelated sexual assault case, detectives with the Unified Police Department learned of the relationship between Anson and the teen. Less than 48 hours after hearing of the allegations, Anson was arrested at the Salt Lake City International Airport where Salt Lake police officers were waiting for him to arrive home from a trip.

Anson had only been with Unified police for less than a year and was still on probationary status when he was arrested. He was fired from the department shortly after his arrest.

Police believe Anson met the teenager while he was on duty but had sexual contact with her on five occasions while he was off duty between Sept. 26 and Oct. 21, 2015.

Prosecutor Sandi Johnson told the court that she knew the victim in the case didn't want charges to be filed, but she has a responsibility to uphold the law. The teen had been a victim of a sexual assault, she said, and turned to Anson for help. Their relationship turned sexual in a matter of weeks, Johnson said.

As she handed down the sentence, Bernards-Goodman addressed both Anson and the victim.

"Both of you have so much left in your lives," she told them — advice she said she gives her own children.

The judge suspended jail time for Anson, giving him credit for the 49 days he served at the time of his arrest, and ordered him to complete community service.

As part of Anson's conviction, he will be placed on the Utah Sex Offender Registry as a class C offender, meaning he will be allowed to have contact with his own children and relatives. He will not be allowed to enter into a relationship with anyone under 18 or have contact with the victim in the case.

Once he is off the registry and successfully completes probation, his charges may be reduced to misdemeanors. He will be on the registry for a minimum of 10 years.

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McKenzie Romero

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