Former karate instructor sentenced to prison for sexually abusing teen

Former karate instructor sentenced to prison for sexually abusing teen

(Davis County Jail)


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FARMINGTON — A former karate instructor from Clearfield has been sentenced to prison for repeatedly sexually abusing a teen girl he taught.

Damian Tyler Fullmer, who turned 21 this month, was sentenced April 16 in two criminal cases alleging he engaged in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl, then continued to have sex with the teen even after his arrest. He is expected to spend at least two years and up to 30 years in prison.

Fullmer was 19 when he met the girl through his job as a karate instructor, according to court documents. He was fired from the job following his arrest.

In court documents filed as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors in February, Fullmer admitted to sexual activity with the girl between September 2016 and April 2017. The girl told police that Fuller was her "sensei" and she would sneak out of her house to meet him, and that two exchanged inappropriate images with each other via text message and social media.

Investigators located 157 pictures of the girl on Fullmer's cellphone, including 43 images exposing the girl's body, court documents state. Five images, including three apparently taken at the karate studio, showed the two engaging in sexual activity, according to court documents.

Between the two cases filed in November, Fullmer was charged with a total of seven counts of rape, nine counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of forcible sodomy.

In the first case, Fullmer pleaded guilty to two counts of forcible sexual abuse and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, all second-degree felonies. He was sentenced last week to concurrent sentences of at least one and up to 15 years in prison for each of the charges.

In the second case, Fullmer pleaded guilty to one count of forcible sexual abuse and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, second-degree felonies. He was sentenced for those charges to concurrent prison terms of one to 15 years.

The sentences in the two cases were ordered to run back-to-back. The remaining charges against Fullmer were dismissed as part of the deal.

Prior to the sentencing, Fullmer's attorney, Brad Anderson, filed a memorandum indicating that because Adult Probation and Parole officials were recommending jail time in the case, and considering Fullmer's age and family support, a jail sentence would be appropriate.

"Mr. Fullmer was only 19 at the time he committed these offenses and while the law of this state considers him to be an adult, scientifically Mr. Fullmer was, and still is, an adolescent," Anderson wrote.

Anderson went on to say, "There is no question that Mr. Fullmer's offenses are very serious. Mr. Fullmer violated the trust of his students and the entire community. The defendant made no excuses for his behavior and took full responsibility. It is clear that he has remorse for his conduct and how it has impacted the victim and so many others."

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