‘What you did was horrible’: Judge sentences LaVerkin man on sexual abuse charges against teen

Composite image with background photo of 5th District courtroom and overlay of District Judge Jeffrey C. Wilcox (right) and defendant Cameron Prisbrey (left) during sentencing hearing via Webex, St. George, Utah, May 18, 2021 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — While a district court judge agreed to a jail sentence in lieu of the trauma that could be associated with a trial, he made it clear the defendant would be spending a great deal of time in Utah State Prison if he violated any of the terms of the sentence during a hearing held Tuesday.

Cameron Prisbrey, 33, appeared Tuesday in 5th District Court for a sentencing hearing on three second-degree felony counts of forcible sexual abuse.

The case was filed following an investigation that began when police were called on an alleged rape involving Prisbrey and a teenage girl on May 11, 2019. Through the course of the investigation, LaVerkin City Police discovered there were at least three separate incidents of sexual abuse over the course of a year, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of Prisbrey’s arrest.

Prisbrey initially denied all allegations and then later admitted to touching the youth “when he was lonely,” according to the statement. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Prisbrey pleaded guilty to the three charges, while two first-degree felony charges –  rape and forcible sodomy – were dismissed in exchange for a guilty plea during a hearing held in March.

Aric Cramer, Prisbrey’s defense attorney, addressed the court during Tuesday’s hearing by saying that his client was not minimizing what happened and has accepted the child’s perception of the incident and how things unfolded, opting not to confront the teen as would happen if the case was brought to trial. Instead, Cramer said, while his client may have a differing view of the events that took place, he was ready to accept the word of the girl and go ahead with sentencing.

Cameron Prisbrey, 35, of LaVerkin booking photo taken in Washington County, Utah, May 11, 2019 | File photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

He also said that Prisbrey has a strong support system which should be considered as a mitigating factor during sentencing.

Addressing the judge, he said: “This punishment will follow Mr. Prisbrey for the rest of his life.”

Cramer added that his client will be a convicted felon and will be required to register as a sex offender “until the day he dies.”

He closed by saying his client knows he has to serve jail time but asked that he be sentenced to serve 180 days in jail as opposed to the 210 days that was recommended in the presentence report. He also asked that Prisbrey be given until Friday to turn himself into the jail so that he can get his affairs in order.

He then referred to a misunderstanding with Adult Probation and Parole as to the allegations against Prisbey but did not disclose any further details during the hearing.

Prosecutor Eric Gentry addressed the court by saying the state’s position was to have Prisbrey serve 365 days in jail, a recommendation he said was based on two factors. First, the defendant has a criminal history and was in a plea and abeyance agreement with the court on a 2018 case when he was arrested on the current charges. And second, Gentry said Prisbrey was in a special position of trust when the abuse took place.

“He broke that trust, your Honor,” Gentry said, “with his actions.”

The plea and abeyance agreement Gentry was referring to was signed by Prisbrey on Feb. 4, 2020 involving a case filed in 2018 that included three charges – child abuse, tampering with a witness and retaliation against a witness, referring to the 5-year-old child and party to the case. He pleaded guilty to the child abuse and tampering charges, each a misdemeanor, while the retaliation charge was dismissed under the terms of the agreement.

Washington County Prosecutor Eric Gentry speaks during Cameron Prisbrey’s sentencing hearing held in 5th District Court via WebEx, St. George, Utah, May 18, 2021 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News

The outcome of that case is still pending in the courts, as the 24-month plea in abeyance probation period has yet to run its course.

A review of the defendant’s criminal history revealed a 2004 case in which the defendant was charged with misdemeanor unlawful sexual activity with a minor. He pleaded guilty to the charge two months later and was fined and placed on probation.

During Tuesday’s hearing District Judge Jefferey Wilcox said the court “was very troubled” by the allegations in which the defendant pleaded guilty, adding that because of the circumstances surrounding the case, he was willing to go along with the recommendation that did not include prison time.

One of the factors the judge said he considered was the fact that Prisbrey pleaded guilty to the charges instead of taking the case to trial.

“There is something to be said about not having to force a victim to relive the horrors that were experienced in a court of law,” he said, adding that any testimony presented would be subject to cross examination.

Even so, he said, the circumstances surrounding the crimes were “extremely troubling” in that Prisbrey’s position of trust should have been something the young teen could count on, but instead, he broke and abused that trust.

“What you did was horrible,” Wilcox said to Prisbey in closing.

Ultimately, the judge sentenced the defendant to serve 365 days in Purgatory Correctional Facility. He suspended three 1-15 year terms in Utah State Prison. Upon his release, Prisbrey will be placed on 48-months’ probation and required to register as a sex offender. The prison terms that were suspended in the case were ordered to run consecutively and could become effective if the defendant violates any of the terms of his probation.

In addition to other standard terms of probation, the defendant was also ordered to have no contact with the victim. Prisbrey was ordered to turn himself into the jail by 6 p.m. on Friday.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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