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PARK CITY — A Park City attorney will serve 364 days in jail and four years of probation after admitting to forcible sexual abuse and incest.
Joseph Edward Wrona, 61, was sentenced on Friday by 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik to one to 15 years in prison for forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, and zero to five years for incest, a third-degree felony. But those sentences were suspended in favor of jail and probation.
The Summit County Attorney's Office said the sentence he is serving exceeds Utah's sentencing guidelines for his crimes.
Wrona was initially charged with rape, a first-degree felony. Charging documents say Wrona came to a woman's condo about 8 a.m. on March 20, 2022, and was upset she had gone out with her friends for St. Patrick's Day and berated and insulted her. Wrona left and came back about two hours later and told the woman he wanted to humiliate her before raping her, the charges alleged.
Wrona then forced the woman to text everyone she knew and say, "Please never contact me again" and "You are the reason my life is ruined," the charges state.
A friend requested a welfare check after receiving the text, and the woman received an examination at the hospital that evening. A sample of Wrona's DNA matched DNA found on the woman.
Wrona pleaded guilty to reduced charges on Nov. 20 and admitted to touching the woman's genitals without consent and having sexual intercourse with her.
A statement from the Summit County Attorney's Office said the resolution of the case was possible because of the courage and resolve of the victim.
Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said a jury trial would have required hours, or possibly days, of painful testimony from the woman, including cross-examination, and more details of the crimes becoming public. The office said the prosecution team, the victim's attorney, victim advocates and the victim agree the plea was the best outcome.
"The county attorney's office will not sacrifice the emotional and mental wellness of an already-traumatized human being on the altar of public cries for maximum penalties. Nor should we expect this valiant young woman to be responsible for ensuring Joe Wrona is punished for all the other wrongs and insults the community believes he has committed," Olson said.
Mrazik also ordered Wrona to not have any further contact with the woman.
