OGDEN — An eight-person jury found Aaron Marcos Montoya guilty Wednesday of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child to conclude a three-day trial where the children testified they were abused in their church Primary class.
The former Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office employee was taken into custody after the four men and four women returned the guilty verdict. Montoya now faces a five years to life prison sentence, which is standard for a first-degree felony conviction.
Second District Judge Thomas Kay scheduled a sentencing on Sept. 26 after Montoya's wife, Angela, stood and asked the judge to change an earlier date so the sentencing wouldn't take place on their son's birthday.
Meanwhile, sobs and gasps came from Montoya's family members after the verdict was read.
Parents of the three girls who said Montoya, 33, sexually abused them when he was their Primary teacher stood together in the courthouse after the trial to say their daughters were vindicated. One of the girls is 6 years old and two are 7 years old.
"They told the truth. They're heroes," one father said.
Another father said a burden was lifted off his daughter after she testified against Montoya.
He also said parents need to have a tough talk with their children to teach them the difference between a good touch and a bad touch.
"It's not OK for anyone else to touch them," he said.
Syracuse detective Sgt. Mark Sessions said his department is glad this trial is over.
"Justice has been served," he said.
Montoya's attorney, Ed Brass, said the testimony from the three children was probably what compelled the jury to render a guilty verdict.
"He's shocked and he's upset as you might expect," Brass said of Montoya.
Just before the jury in Montoya's case received their instructions to deliberate at 11:55 a.m., Brass moved for a dismissal of the charges — a motion Kay denied.
The four men and four women heard two days of testimony to review and thorough closing arguments from each side.
Prosecuting attorney Troy Rawlings told jurors they now know the children from Montoya's Primary class of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Primary class — the class where three girls said Montoya had reached up their skirts and touched them.
Rawlings called the girls three young heroes who have no malicious intent against Montoya.
"This trial is about the pursuit of justice by three small children and their families,' he said.
During one hour, Rawlings outlined what he thought were important factors in the case: that Montoya was alone in the class, that the parents and children had been dealing with what they say happened for about a year, that it was out of character for one of the girls to not want to go to church or pray at home with her family and that the children were consistent in their testimonies about the important issues of the case.
He said Montoya touched the girls in a way to gratify a sexual desire and said any inconsistencies in the girls' testimonies might arise because they had been sexually abused several times.
After Rawlings' one-hour statement, Brass said he never supposed the children or their families had malicious intent.
But, he said, the children may have been susceptible to inadvertent suggestions when parents questioned them about the abuse.
Once parents who aren't trained investigators begin questioning children, a degree of contamination can and did occur, Brass said.
"Detectives want them not to have this contact . . . so they don't remember things people have told them instead of what truly happened," he said.
He said it was unbelievable that Montoya could have sexually abused the girls because of Montoya's background as a 3rd District Court bailiff and his knowledge about such crimes.
He said Montoya never threatened the girls or tried to cover up abuse because it never happened. No one ever saw the abuse happening, he said.
Brass told jurors they needed to be careful about their decision regarding the four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child because the crime is a first-degree felony — as serious as some murder charges.
Another trial on similar charges is scheduled for Oct. 3, according to court records, stemming from girls who had contact with Montoya about five years ago.
Two girls allege something inappropriate happened while they were using personal watercraft with Montoya at Pineview Reservoir, Sessions said.
Montoya is charged with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, according to court records.
Rawlings, who will continue to prosecute Montoya on the other charges, declined to go into details about them, but said he wants to try those charges in Weber County. This week's trial was moved to Ogden from Farmington.
E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com