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WEBER — A man accused of using his job as a photographer to sexually exploit clients has been charged with sexually assualting two women, police say.
Russell Scott Healey, 58, was arrested by the Weber County Sheriff's Office on Nov. 17. Healey was charged on Nov. 18 with two first degree felony counts of object rape, and two second-degree felony counts of forcible sexual abuse.
Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Cortney Ryan said in a statement Tuesday that Healey is a well-known photographer in the area who offers drawings through other businesses where individuals can win a photoshoot with him.
A woman reported to police that she had won one of these photoshoots in March, and Healey explained that the photoshoot was free but she would have to purchase any pictures she wanted. According to a probable cause affidavit, the woman paid Healey $100 but he tried to get her to spend an additional $50 for a better package deal. When the woman told Healey she could not afford it, he offered to let her work off the additional amount by doing makeup for other photoshoots.
The affidavit said the woman did the makeup for six clients but still did not receive her photos. The woman then quit working for Healey in July and reached out on July 27 about the photos, which she still had not received, according to the probable cause statement.
On Aug. 27, Healey then told the victim he would take her to go get her photos from his studio but instead drove her to a remote location and sexually assaulted her, the statement said.
Police said that as they investigated the incident another woman came forward and told police that last year when she was 19 years old, Healey offered to take pictures to help her build her portfolio. She reported to police that Healey kept attempting to get the woman to take nude pictures, which she refused. The woman told police that while she was in Healey's studio, he sexually assaulted her and tried to tell her that she could not tell anyone.
According to police, Healey has a history of sexual abuse dating back around 30 years. In the course of the investigation, some of Healey's previous clients reported similar victimization, officials said. The victimization reported to police by other clients included withholding their pictures in an attempt to trade for sexual favors or sexually assaulting them when he was supposed to be meeting up with them to give them their pictures, Ryan said.
A background check performed on Healey revealed that in 1994 he was convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, according to the affidavit. Healey took photos of girls aged 12-18 without parents' permission, some of them naked. Healey was registered as a sex offender until 2007.
"There are a total of five women thus far, along with Rusty's criminal history, who all corroborate each other's statements and provide substantial evidence of Rusty's history of sexual assault and rape, with a high likelihood of additional unknown victims," said the charging documents.
Police say that it is possible there are more women or men who have been victimized by Healey. They asked anyone who has something to report about Healy to contact their local law enforcement agency and reference Weber County Sheriff's Office case 20WC22217.
