A former Davis school counselor could spend anywhere from nine years to the rest of his life in prison for sexually molesting a 10-year-old girl he befriended in California and then brought to Utah.
Donald R. Persson, 54, was sentenced Tuesday to a minimum of nine years and up to life in prison by 2nd District Judge Rodney S. Page. The sentence, along with two others Page handed down, will run concurrently with a 10-year federal term Persson received earlier for transporting pornography across state lines.Persson said he's deeply remorseful about the incident with the girl and pleaded with Page for a reduced term.
But the judge said it appears Persson is more sorry about being caught than about his past misdeeds.
Defense attorney Brad Rich pointed out that Persson has been seeking counseling for more than 20 years and has a history of community service and charitable work on an international scale.
He has given away hundreds of thousands of dollars, Rich said, including the foundation and funding of a medical mission in the Philippines when he was working overseas.
Prosecutor Brian Namba countered that even while Persson was helping refugees he was sexually abusing them, preying on them while they were vulnerable.
"He has devastated the lives of countless women and children," Namba told the judge, asking for the maximum sentence. Namba also said Persson got enough of a break during plea negotiations, in which some charges were reduced and some dropped altogether.
The judge agreed, saying Pers-son shows a history of sexually abusing children that goes back more than 20 years and the incident involving the California girl went on for more than a year.
Persson was a Davis School District psychologist when he was arrested a year ago, working with elementary and junior high school students with learning and emotional disabilities.
That professional background should have made him aware of the damage he was doing to his victims, Page said.
The judge downplayed Pers-son's charitable work, agreeing he had abused some of the people he was helping, adding that "all the good you did can't overcome the dark evil."
Page sentenced Persson to a minimum of nine years and up to life in prison on the charge of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. He also sentenced him to one to 15 years for sexual exploitation of a child and zero to five years for dealing in material harmful to a child.
The terms will run concurrently with the federal sentence, which is a minimum of 10 years and could be reduced to nine for good behavior. After serving the federal term, Persson will be transferred to the state prison.
The state Board of Pardons eventually will decide when Persson is released after he serves his nine-year minimum term.
Persson was arrested in June 1992 by Bountiful police acting on a tip that he had pornographic material, much of it involving children, in his home. Police seized hundreds of photos, books, videotapes and other material.
In September, Persson fled the state, jumping a $150,000 bond. After a futile attempt to make police believe he had fled to the Orient, Persson was arrested in Oklahoma in February and sent back to Utah.