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PROVO — A former therapist was charged Thursday with sexually abusing a young girl 30 years ago.
David Lee Hamblin, 68, of Provo, was arrested Wednesday and charged Thursday in 4th District Court with three counts of sodomy on a child, two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and rape of a child, all first-degree felonies.
Between 1986 and 1987, when the victim was between 6 and 7 years old and lived in Hamblin's Provo neighborhood, she would go to his house to play with his children. At different times while she was there, Hamblin sexually abused her under the guise of teaching her sex acts, according to charging documents, and even "gave her 'techniques' in order to 'do a good job.' There were at least two other child victims that were forced to participate."
Between 1987 and 1988, there was another incident when the victim was in Hamblin's home and he forced her headfirst into a sleeping bag and again sexually assaulted her, the charges state.
Between 1992 and 1993, in Sanpete County, when the victim was 12 to 13 years old, she was at Hamblin's home and was taken into another room where she was told to perform a sex act with an adult woman and was given instructions by Hamblin on how to do it, according to the charges. Court documents do not identify the woman in the room.
When Hamblin was arrested, the Utah County Sheriff's Office issued a statement saying it was "in relation to an investigation involving ritualistic child sexual abuse."
"David Hamblin was a licensed therapist whose license was revoked by the state of Utah due to allegations that he was sexually abusing his client(s). Through this investigation, it has been reported that David continues to perform 'therapy' under the guise of 'healing circles' and upon information and belief, the abuse may be ongoing. David Hamblin is a threat to the children and citizens of Utah County," a police booking affidavit states.
The victim came forward to police in April. In May, the sheriff's office issued a statement asking for victims of ritualistic child sexual abuse to contact them. The sheriff's office declined at the time to say who was being investigated or what kind of ritualistic abuse was occurring, only stating that "other victims had previously reported similar forms of ritualistic sexual abuse and trafficking that occurred in Utah County, Juab County and Sanpete County during the time between 1990 and 2010."
The day after the sheriff's office released its statement, Utah County Attorney David Leavitt held a press conference claiming he was connected to the investigation because of criminal allegations made against him during an investigation into Hamblin a decade earlier. He called the claims false and angrily accused Sheriff Mike Smith — who has long been at odds with Leavitt — of having political motivations for the timing of the release.
A few weeks later, Leavitt lost his bid for reelection to Republican challenger Jeff Gray.
The new charges will be prosecuted by Juab County Attorney Ryan Peters, who has been deputized as a special prosecutor by the Utah Attorney General's Office.
In 2012, Hamblin was charged with 18 first-degree felonies, including sodomy on a child, multiple counts of rape of a child, and aggravated sexual abuse of a child. The case was dismissed without prejudice in 2014. Dismissing a case "without prejudice" means a prosecutor has the option of refiling charges if new evidence arises.
In April, Hamblin filed a petition with the court to have his previous case expunged. Prosecutors fought the petition, however, noting that he was part of an ongoing criminal investigation. In August, a judge denied Hamblin's request for expungement.
The alleged victim tied to Thursday's charges is not the same as the one from 2012, according to court records.
The sheriff's office has requested that Hamblin be held without bail in the Utah County Jail, noting in the affidavit that "there are ongoing investigations regarding other victims with David as a perpetrator."
Thursday evening, Smith released another statement, emphasizing that the investigation being conducted by his department "is about the heinous crimes committed against children."
"Despite efforts by some individuals to delegitimize this investigation as well as intimidate witnesses and law enforcement, this investigation has moved forward with the arrest of David Hamblin for multiple felony counts of sexual crimes against a child," the sheriff stated. "If you have information on this case, please contact us. We understand that there are individuals who have concerns for their safety and/or well-being, who have been silenced. We are here for you. We need your help."
Anyone with information on the case or child sex abuse can call the sheriff's office at 801-851-4010.
