SALT LAKE CITY — A Holladay man was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison after admitting to engaging in sexual activity with an 11-year-old boy he babysat.
Lawrence Cannon Dowd, 36, pleaded guilty to sodomy on a child, a first-degree felony, on Jan. 8. When the boy was 15, he reported that he had been "sexually assaulted and manipulated" over multiple years by Dowd, who prosecutors described as a "father figure" to the boy.
Third District Judge Amber Mettler ordered him to serve a prison term of 25 years to life.
Dowd was charged in July of 2025, after admitting to multiple sexual acts during an interview with police.
Dowd told police his relationship with the boy "went from 'stupid nothingness' and cuddling to escalation through play." He described it as "beautiful, sacred and healing" and said he views it as "a natural, normal thing," according to court documents.
In exchange for his plea, eight counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and six counts of sodomy on a child, first-degree felonies, and dealing in materials harmful to a minor, a third-degree felony, were dismissed as part of a plea bargain.
Dowd filed a motion a few days after his sentence asking to withdraw his guilty plea and put his sentence on hold. The motion says he is appealing the case to the Utah Court of Appeals.
That motion to put his sentence on hold will be considered on Thursday. At this point, no arguments have been filed explaining why he is seeking an appeal.
