By Tracie Sullivan, Iron County Today
An Iron County man, currently serving a prison sentence for arson, faces new charges after confessing to drugging and sexually assaulting his former girlfriend and her minor daughter.
The Iron County Attorney’s Office filed multiple felony charges last week against Christopher Lee Lescoe following his admission during a recent interview with Cedar City Police.
He is now facing nine first-degree felonies including two counts of rape, three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and four counts of sodomy upon a child.
Lescoe, 34, was sentenced to one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison in 2019 for aggravated arson. The case originated when Lescoe set fire to his mother’s home in Nibley, leading to significant property damage and endangering himself and emergency responders.
Earlier that same day, Lescoe had been involved in a hit-and-run crash in Logan while driving his mother’s car. He returned to his mother’s residence near 3000 South and 1000 West, barricaded himself inside, and began rearranging furniture to fortify his position.
At the time, Lescoe’s girlfriend, speaking with authorities via video call, observed him self-inflicting a knife wound and setting the house ablaze in an apparent suicide attempt.
Emergency services put out the fire and rescued Lescoe, who suffered smoke inhalation and injuries from the self-inflicted wound. The house sustained extensive damage, with the main floor heavily affected by fire, smoke, and water, and the upper floor and its contents completely destroyed.
Prior to the 2019 incident, Lescoe gained notoriety in 2017 when he engaged in a standoff with law enforcement in Cedar City, allegedly threatening police and discharging a firearm. This incident resulted in charges of felony discharge of a firearm and misdemeanors for threats of violence.
According to court records filed in 5th District Court in support of the charges, Lescoe’s recent confession detailed the drugging and sexual assault of his former girlfriend and her daughter who at the time was 9-years-old. Lescoe also admitted to intentionally setting the victim’s house on fire in February, 2019 prior to setting his mother’s home on fire.
Additionally, Lescoe told police that he was coming forward now because “his conscience had been bothering him,” and he wanted the victims to receive the mental health support he never received after suffering sexual abuse himself as a child.
“…He also stated that he knows he will probably spend the rest of his life in Prison for his actions, but he accepts that, if it happens, because he has to make things right for (his girlfriend) and her daughter,” the affidavit states.
Lescoe remains in custody at the Utah State Prison pending further legal proceedings. No court dates have been set for the new charges at this time.