Gavel. Photo by Bill Oxford on Unsplash
LOGAN — A 61-year-old former Logan man is being ordered to face charges of abusing several boys (physically and sexually) more than 25 years ago. Steven Al Archuleta has been in the Cache County Jail since a judge issued a warrant for his arrest in May.
Court records show, Archuleta participated in a preliminary hearing in 1st District Court Thursday morning. He was charged previously with two counts of sodomy on a child, two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, two counts of object rape of a child, and an additional count of attempted sodomy on a child, all first-degree felonies.
Logan City police officers claim they received a delayed report involving the sexual abuse of a child last year. The incidents allegedly occurred between 1991 and 1997.
A detective interviewed the alleged victim on May 26, 2020. The man disclosed how he began being physically and sexually abused when he was around the age of 9 or 10. Archuleta would rape him and then threaten him with violence if he told anybody. The abuse continued until he was approximately 13 or 14-years-old.
On March 15, 2021 the detective interviewed a second alleged victim. The man also reported similar abuse occurring when he was between 6 and 7-years-old.
Both alleged victims described how Archuleta and Carol A. Ricker, a 58-year-old woman, would engage in sexual acts, while making them interact with them.
Ricker was convicted of abusing the boys in 2009 and is currently in prison. She has been charged with similar new offences and will appear again in court Oct. 13.
During Thursday’s preliminary hearing, the lead investigator testified regarding prosecutor’s evidence in the case. He also played two recorded interviews with the alleged victims, where they described the abuse that took place.
Judge Brian Cannell ruled that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to bind Archuleta over for trial. He ordered the defendant to appear again in court Nov. 10.
Public defender Joseph Saxton entered pleas of “not guilty” to all of the charges for his client.
Archuleta remains in jail, being held without bail. He could face up to life in prison if convicted.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
will@cvradio.com