A Davis School District elementary school psychologist has entered a plea in abeyance, pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge after investigators say she disclosed an 11-year-old girl's personal information that may have led to the student's rape.
Natalie Stokes, 41, of South Weber, pleaded guilty Aug. 22 to unauthorized collecting, sharing or use of private student data, a class A misdemeanor. She entered a plea in abeyance for 18 months, meaning 2nd District Judge David Williams will dismiss the charge against her if she successfully completes all terms of her plea deal.
Stokes' charge is connected to one of multiple cases against her ex-husband, Phillip Brandon Stokes, 42. He was sentenced in November to two concurrent terms of 25 years to life in the Utah State Prison for rape of a child and sodomy on a child, first-degree felonies, as well as 364 days in the Davis County Jail for lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemeanor.
In early 2021, the Davis County Sheriff's Office and the FBI opened an investigation into a man, later identified as Phillip Stokes, contacting an 11-year-old girl over TikTok. Messages between the two show Stokes sending sexually explicit photos of himself and asking the girl for nude photos, which she sent, charging documents state. He also had the girl meet him at a park, where investigators say he sexually assaulted her.
Agents from the sheriff's office and the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force served a search warrant at Stokes' residence, where he admitted to meeting the victim at least twice, a police booking affidavit states.
Stokes told police he came to know the girl because his then-wife was her counselor at a Davis County elementary school, according to charging documents.
He told police the couple was walking in a neighborhood when Natalie Stokes pointed out the girl, identified her as someone she'd been working with and said she'd had problems at school, the charges state. He later told police he learned the girl was on TikTok.
"I guess it started as just curiosity, like ... I wanna see what that is all about. And so ... I looked up her videos and you know the rest," Phillip Stokes said, according to charging documents.
Phillip Stokes initially faced 14 total state charges related to child sexual abuse and dealing in materials harmful to a minor, but 11 of them were dropped in a plea deal. He also faces federal charges relating to production of child pornography, coercion and enticement.
As part of Natalie Stokes' plea, she must avoid any further violations of the law, complete a 20-page essay on the obligations of maintaining patient confidentiality, pay fees of $100 to the court and $150 to the Davis County Attorney's Office, complete 96 hours of community service and submit to DNA testing. During that time, Stokes also cannot be employed anywhere that she would work with minors under the age of 18.
The Davis School District told KSL it put Stokes on administrative leave in August 2021, immediately after it was notified of the police investigation. Court documents show Natalie and Phillip Stokes divorced that same month.
Her tracking review is scheduled for Feb. 22, 2025.