TOOELE — A 48-year-old Grantsville man has been ordered to spend up to life in prison for sexually abusing several children.
Mark Swan pleaded guilty Tuesday in three child sexual abuse cases. He admitted in Tooele’s 3rd District Court to a total of 11 felony charges stemming from incidents that took place from 2013 to 2019.
Prosecutors say he victimized six children in all.
“These young victims were courageous in telling their stories of abuse and confronting their abuser,” Tooele County Attorney Scott Broadhead said in a Facebook post.
Court records show Swan chose to be sentenced immediately Tuesday on eight counts of aggravated sex abuse of a child, a first-degree felony, and three lesser charges, including attempted sexual abuse.
He originally faced other charges including rape of a child and aggravated kidnapping, both first-degree felonies. Those counts were dismissed at the time he entered guilty pleas, court records indicate.
Prosecutors alleged the criminal case represented a fraction of the actual abuse.
Police began investigating in July when a parent told detectives that a family acquaintance had inappropriately touched three siblings, according to a probable cause affidavit. After news of his arrest was reported by the media, additional victims stepped forward.
Swan’s first victim was 12 years old when the abuse began, according to charging documents. One girl under the age of 14, whom Swan often babysat at his home, told police she had been abused so many times that she couldn’t recall each instance, the charges said.
Judge Matthew Bates ordered Swan to at least 15 years and up to life in the Utah State Prison for each count of aggravated sexual abuse, allowing the terms to run concurrently, or at the same time. He ordered Swan to lesser, concurrent sentences for the remaining three convictions.