Brandon Paul Burdett booking photo from the Cache County Jail.
LOGAN — A 40-year-old Hyrum man has been sentenced to one year in jail for molesting a young girl during a sleepover 20 months ago. Brandon Paul Burdett asked the court to follow a plea agreement, while continuing to claim he didn’t commit the crime.
Burdett was sentenced Monday, March 25, in Logan’s 1st District Court. He previously entered an Alford plea to sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony.
The Alford plea is an admission of the crime while continuing to maintain innocence. It is still viewed as a guilty plea in court.
Prosecutors reported the victim’s father contacted Cache County Sheriff’s deputies, explaining how his daughter had been sexually abused while attending an overnighter at another girl’s home. The incident occurred on the evening of July 30, 2022.
The girl was later interviewed by at the Cache Children’s Justice Center. She told investigators how Burdett touched her inappropriately several times while they were watching TV.
The victim confronted Burdett about the incident. He reportedly apologized for making her feel uncomfortable and asked her not to tell anyone because he could lose his job. He told her, “I’m just drunk and don’t know what I’m doing,” deputies reported.
Investigators later interviewed Burdett, who reportedly acknowledged that he had been drinking that night.
During Monday’s sentencing, defense attorney Bryan Sidwell said they continued to contend that the crime didn’t happen but wouldn’t claim the victim was lying.
Burdett said this case had been difficult for him to deal with during the past 18 months. He asked the court for work release, so he could continue to support his family.
Cache County Deputy Attorney Joshua Nemeth said he was 100 percent sure the crime happened. He explained that he had agreed to the plea deal to save the victim from having to go through the trial process.
Judge Angela Fonnesbeck told Burdett that it was obvious that the victim was suffering from what had taken place. She said, “These types of crimes are not appropriate or tolerable in our community.”
Burdett was ordered to serve one year in jail, with work release but no credit for time previously served. Upon release, he will be placed on probation and the sex-offender registry.