PROVO — A former Utah County sheriff's deputy asked a judge Wednesday to give him the maximum sentence for sexually abusing two boys, and the judge complied, sending him to prison for at least six years and as much as the rest of his life.
Former colleagues then took Sean Davis, 39, into custody and transported him to the prison after the sentencing, providing a stark contrast to his position during nine years as a sheriff's deputy and 16 years in law enforcement.
Davis came forward and sought accountability for illegal sex acts with 10- and 11-year-old boys in his home after one of his victims leveled accusations against him during a separate criminal investigation last fall. His attorney and a friend asked 4th District Judge Anthony Schofield to consider a lifetime of kindnesses committed by Davis, but he shunned the attempt.
"I would give anything to take the past back," Davis told Schofield before he was sentenced. "If I'd robbed a bank and taken money, I could give the money back, but I can't give back what I've taken. I could do good things for 1,000 lifetimes and it would never take back the damage I've done."
The case casts a long shadow over police officers and deputies, said Schofield and Detective Toby O'Bryant, who worked the case as an investigator in the Utah County Attorney's Office.
"Not long ago we had a judge who was in trouble," Schofield said, referring to the conviction of former 4th District Judge Ray Harding Jr. for drug use. "That situation cast a pall over the entire judiciary. There are some in the Legislature who have made some very damaging statements about the judiciary."
Schofield said some similar statements have been made about police after Davis pleaded guilty in October.
"It's a sad day in law enforcement," O'Bryant said. "I hate to see this kind of thing surface because we all have to wear that uniform tomorrow."
However, Davis urged the public to focus on the fact that police and prosecutors vigorously investigated him.
"If law enforcement can't even police its own, how can it police the public?" Davis said. "Everyone should have 100 percent faith in law enforcement and the court system."
Davis pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree attempted sodomy with a child. Each count carried a minimum mandatory sentence of three years to life in prison. The only suspense Wednesday was whether Schofield would run the four sentences at the same time or consecutively.
Schofield said that under guidelines used by the Utah Board of Pardons, Davis would serve at least four years if the sentences ran concurrently, and at least six-and-a-half years if the sentences were consecutive.
Schofield ordered Davis to serve the four terms one after the other.
Utah County Deputy Attorney David Sturgill commended Davis for his remorse and for cooperating with investigators and seeking treatment. However, he called Davis' crimes "egregious and incomprehensible" and said a psychosexual evaluation determined that until Davis completes treatment, he is a high risk to reoffend.
Sturgill also said Davis' victims have struggled with drug problems and sexual problems, and one has had a criminal charge related to sexual abuse against children.
"That shows the seriousness of these offenses and how they perpetuate themselves," Sturgill said.
Davis himself was similarly abused as a child, said one of his attorneys, Jon Allan. That abuse left Davis with homosexual tendencies and a desire for young boys.
Allan said Davis acted inappropriately between 1987 and 1993. He survived a December 1995 investigation by lying about his reason for grabbing a boy's crotch, calling it punishment. He curbed his behavior after that, Allan said.
Sturgill confirmed that no allegations have surfaced about problems after 1995.
Allan said Davis initially lied again this fall when faced with a new investigation because he was close to finalizing the adoption of a 6-year-old boy. Davis quickly changed his mind and decided to confess.
"He didn't want any of these young men to have to testify against him," Allan said. "When I first met with him, he wanted to go to police immediately. I was the one who advised him against it. Later, when the time came, he made a full disclosure to investigators. During that disclosure he confessed to two additional victims.
O'Bryant believes Davis abused more boys and continues to seek information. Davis denied O'Bryant's charge but made a public plea for anyone else who considers themselves a victim to contact O'Bryant at 370-8025.
"Sean has permanently damaged his victims' lives," Allan said. "He knows that. There's nothing the court can do to bring back or restore the innocence lost. The same as if he'd killed them, he can't bring that back."
E-mail: twalch@desnews.com