FARMINGTON — A 2nd District judge, citing the increase in the number of sex offenders he sees in his courtroom, rejected pleas for leniency for a West Bountiful man during a Thursday sentencing.
"How do we stop it?" Judge Thomas Kay asked. Turning to Vance Gordon Green, 45, he added, "What message do I send to society if I send you to jail for one year?"
So instead of following a defense attorney's request that Green's time in jail be counted for time already served, Kay sentenced him to three years to life in prison.
"I think one of the worst things we have in our society is a sex crime," Kay said as he looked squarely at Green.
Charged initially with five counts of child rape and six counts of sodomy on a child, Green in April entered into a plea with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to four counts of first-degree felony attempted sex abuse of a child.
At the hearing, defense attorney Tony Miles said prison is not the proper place for Green's rehabilitation. His client has already served 282 days in jail, Miles said, and his fellow inmates have treated him hostilely. He reminded the judge that Green came to a previous court hearing with a black eye.
"They have a way in prison of handing down their own way of judgment," he said.
Green recognizes the seriousness of his actions, Miles said, and asked that a lesser sentence be considered. Several doctors analyzed Green and concluded he has a low chance for recidivism, he added.
"I don't think the court will see Mr. Vance in the courtroom again," Miles said.
But Troy Rawlings of Davis County Attorney's Office said the court has an obligation to balance public safety with rehabilitation. In this case, he said the prison sentence is appropriate.
Rawlings deferred the rest of his time to an advocate who read a statement to the judge on behalf of some of Green's victims. She read about the pain and suffering they endured because of Green's actions, including one girl who has trouble trusting people. Green still has a propensity to prey on children, she said.
"He is not fit to be around children," she read to the judge.
The victims want to see some measure of justice but "don't be too harsh," she said.
As Green listened, he sniffled and wiped his nose with a tissue. His shoulders slumped forward slightly as he took small steps toward the microphone to address the court.
"I'm sorry for what I did," he said in a trembling voice. "I promise I'll never do it again."
At the conclusion of the hearing, Kay recommended Green enroll in the prison treatment program for sexual predators.
E-mail: jdana@desnews.com