A former Boy Scout leader, who pleaded guilty in December to forcible sodomy on a 9-year-old boy, has been sentenced to five years to life in the state prison.
The defendant, Brian R. Peterson, 25, Orem, was ordered to report Monday to the Utah County Jail for transport to the prison.Following a lengthy sentencing hearing Thursday, 4th District Judge Cullen Y. Christensen called Peterson's case a difficult one but said he had little choice but to send the defendant to prison. Not only is Peterson a poor candidate for treatment, the judge said, but "he's quite accomplished in this type of activity."
Peterson originally was charged with three counts of sodomy on a child. But following plea negotiations, he agreed to plead guilty to one charge in exchange for the dropping of the other two.
Christensen's stiff sentence, recommended by Adult Probation and Parole, followed two hours of testimony by psychiatrists and psychologists who examined Peterson. Lisa Howard, the defendant's neighbor, testified Peterson bragged about his sexual exploits with male children.
"He did say, `I've had little boys all over the state of Utah in conjunction with the Boy Scout program,' " she said. "He said, `Give me an 11-year-old boy for a week, and I'll make him a homosexual for life.' "
The Scouts' National Parks Council suspended Peterson's membership for life last fall following his arrest. The defendant was registered as a district committee member in the Squaw Peak (Orem) and Timpanogos (Pleasant Grove) districts.
Carlos Roby, executive director of the Intermountain Sexual Abuse Center, described Peterson as a "exclusive homosexual pedophile" who has shown little remorse and little interest in getting treatment.
"We hoped he would show a great deal more remorse for his victims than he did," Roby said. "I think he represents a fairly poor prognosis for treatment."
Michael Findeis, who treated Peterson at the sexual abuse center, said the defendant refuses to take full responsibility for his actions and that he blames his 9-year-old victim.
"I think he's a risk to the community," he said. "I would not recommend outpatient treatment."
But psychologist Robert Howell, who interviewed Peterson twice, disagreed. He suggested outpatient treatment be tried before incarceration.
"I don't think prison is going to solve or even address the problems we have with this defendant," added defense attorney Gary Weight.
But Kay Bryson, deputy Utah County attorney, said prison is where Peterson belongs.
"This is not his first offense. This is a deep-seated problem of long standing," he said. "He is a danger to every young boy with whom he comes into contact."