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FARMINGTON — A man already on the sex offender registry — who has been convicted twice in the past year of not properly registering as a sex offender — was charged Thursday with unlawful sexual conduct with a 17-year-old.
The third-degree felony was filed in 2nd District Court against David Leroy Howarth, 31, of Ogden.
In April, the girl told police she was with Howarth at a home in Layton.
"She stated that she was drinking alcohol and that she used cocaine which was given to her by the defendant. The girl further disclosed that she engaged in sexual intercourse with the defendant," according to charging documents.
Howarth was convicted in Michigan in 2007 of criminal sexual conduct with a 13- to 15-year-old, according to Utah's Sex Offender Registry. After he came to Utah, he was required to register with the state as a sex offender.
However, he was convicted in 2nd District Court in August of 2016 of failing to properly register as a sex offender, a class A misdemeanor, and again in May for failing to update Adult Probation & Parole with his personal information such as where he was living.
The investigation in that case began about the same time as the 17-year-old said she had sex with Howarth, according to charging documents. Woods Cross police were looking for a missing juvenile and found her in Bountiful with Howarth. The charges do not indicate if the girl from that incident is the same as the 17-year-old.
If convicted of the unlawful sexual contact charge, he could receive an enhanced penalty of five years in prison because of his prior sex-related conviction.
