By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A 37-year-old Las Vegas man was sentenced last week to two five-year sentences in prison after being convicted on charges involving a minor.
Vernon Ross was sentenced to the Utah State Prison for attempted sexual exploitation and unlawful sexual conduct with a 16-17 year old, both third-degree felonies.
While each conviction carries a separate sentence the judge ruled that they would be served concurrently, the maximum time he can spend in prison is five years.
Initially, Ross was charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, all second-degree felonies; one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a 16- or 17-year-old, a third-degree felony; and two misdemeanor counts related to providing alcohol and tobacco products to a minor.
Most of these charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Prosecutors then reduced one of the second-degree felonies of sexual exploitation to attempted sexual exploitation, a third-degree felony.
The charges against Ross stemmed from an incident in early May, when the man was accused of engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct with a 17-year-old girl at a Cedar City hotel.
According to court documents, police began investigating the incident after they received a report of a runaway juvenile on June 2. During the investigation, authorities found the girl had made several phone calls to Ross prior to leaving home, leading them to believe she was with him.
The following Monday, Ross contacted police and told them he had been with the juvenile at the hotel the previous Saturday when police were searching for her. He admitted to investigators he had engaged in “consensual sexual intercourse” with the girl but at the time wasn’t aware she was under 18-years-old.
“At this point, he believed she was 18 but due to the 20-year age gap, this fact is not relevant,” the investigating officer stated in the affidavit..
The two had communicated through social media before arranging to meet in person. Ross told police the two had met via an online adult dating app in early May and had exchanged numerous sexually explicit images via Snapchat.
“(Ross) stated that he believed she was 18, but when he found out on Monday she was 17, he videoed and took screenshots of their entire Snapchat conversation, including the child sexual abuse material,” the affidavit stated.
Police found dozens of sexual images of the juvenile on his phone. Ross admitted there was also another video on his wife’s phone.
In addition, Ross provided the juvenile with a nicotine vape and alcohol.