Parowan Youth Coach Convicted of Unlawful Conduct with a Minor2 min read

Correction 6/17/24: Mr. Robertson never volunteered for Parowan High School. He was a volunteer with Parowan City. 

By Tracie Sullivan

A 5th District Court judge sentenced a volunteer youth coach last week after he was found guilty for having sex with a minor he met on an online hookup site.

Judge Matthew Bell sentenced Chad Kay Robertson, 39, to one year in the Iron County Jail Monday June 3 and two years probation with credit for time served since Jan. 25 when he was first arrested. 

Robertson, a former volunteer basketball coach for Parowan City, was convicted on one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and dealing harmful materials to a minor, both third-degree felonies. 

Robertson initially faced seven third-degree felonies including five counts of unlawful sexual conduct, one count of dealing harmful materials to a minor and one count of enticing a minor. However, the state dismissed all but two of the charges as part of a plea agreement. 

According to court documents, Robertson met the minor through an online site called Sniffies, a map-based hookup web app for gay, bisexual and bicurious men, where the minor misrepresented his age. 

“The 16-year-old minor stated that he lied about his age on this website in order to create his Sniffies profile account,” the affidavit states. 

Authorities said the boy reported meeting Robertson several times in various locations, including Robertson’s home and a nearby park. Evidence from the boy’s cell phone, including images and messages, supported his statements.

While the minor did not ever disclose his age to the defendant, he told police Robertson had seen him in a high school play where the two made eye contact several times. He also stated that their sexual relationship continued thereafter. 

During the investigation, Robertson admitted to police the sexual interactions and to sending inappropriate photographs to the minor. He acknowledged that one encounter also occurred when the boy was 15 years old.

The minor told authorities that on Halloween he went “Trick or Treating” at Robertson’s house with his friends and said he was surprised when Robertson’s wife answered the door. 

While, according to the court documents, Robertson had always left the lights off in the house when the two were together, the minor was still able to describe the inside of the home to officers.

Iron County Attorney Chad Dotson said that under Utah law, ignorance of a minor’s true age is not a defense in these types of cases.

“It is the adult’s responsibility to verify the age of their sexual partner,” Dotson said. “In cases like this the prosecution does not have to prove intent. So, in other words, we don’t have to show that he intended to have sex with a minor because adults are responsible to make sure that who they’re sleeping with are of age.”