Charges: Utah man drugged teen, then recorded sexual assault

Charges: Utah man drugged teen, then recorded sexual assault

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SALT LAKE CITY — A registered sex offender faces new charges accusing him of drugging a teenage boy, sexually assaulting him, recording the assault on his phone and then distributing it to a pornographic website.

John Terry Miller, 46, of West Jordan, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with forcible sodomy, a first-degree felony, and distribution of pornography by an adult, a third-degree felony.

On June 18, Miller approached a 17-year-old boy who was in front of a convenience store "scrounging for money" and saying he needed to call his grandmother. Miller offered to take the teen back to his motel room so he could use his phone, according to charging documents.

Once there, "Miller gave him some pills to 'help with his anxiety,'" one of which was Depakote, which is used to treat those with epilepsy and bipolar disorder.

"Doctors prescribe it to treat conditions that affect the brain," according to the website drugwatch.com. "The drug’s maker tells patients to swallow Depakote whole, not to crush or chew it. Valproate in Depakote is effective in managing and stabilizing moods. But the chemical substance can cause serious side effects."

Miller convinced the boy to snort the fifth pill because "the effect of the pill would be quicker," charging documents state. The boy told investigators he was "drugged" and "blacked out at times."

When the teen regained consciousness, he was being sexually assaulted by Miller, the charges state. The incident was recorded on Miller's phone, according to police.

"Miller told him he sends videos to a friend and has them put on a porn site," according to the charges.

Miller also showed the teen "photos of 'other naked kids,'" the charges state.

In 2008, Miller was convicted of enticing a minor in one case and unlawful sexual activity with minors in another, according to court records. He was sentenced to a combined six years in the Utah State Prison.

In 2000, he was convicted of dealing in harmful materials to a minor. He was given a suspended five-year prison sentence and placed on probation.

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Pat Reavy, KSLPat Reavy
Pat Reavy interned with KSL in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL or Deseret News since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.

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