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ST. GEORGE — A defendant with a juvenile criminal history of sex crimes up north has pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including rape and forcible sexual abuse.
Avery Jared Anderson, 21, pleaded guilty to second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor. The defendant also pleaded guilty to rape, a charge that was reduced to a third-degree felony during a hearing held Feb. 23 before District Judge Keith C. Barnes.
In the third case, Anderson pleaded guilty to one third-degree felony count of aggravated assault and one misdemeanor count of unlawful sexual activity with a minor that was downgraded from a second-degree felony in exchange for a guilty plea.
The charges were filed in three separate cases starting in 2020 when Anderson reportedly had sex with a 13-year-old minor despite being told "'no' multiple times." Anderson knew her age but continued to have sex with her, said prosecutor Jim Weeks during a 2022 hearing.
