LOGAN — A 66-year-old Nibley man has been convicted of molesting and raping two children years ago. Mark Konschella Petersen was arrested Sept. 16, 2022, following an investigation by law enforcement.
According to court records, the conviction came after a four day trial last week in Logan’s 1st District Court. The jury announced their verdict after deliberating for about three hours, finding Petersen guilty of 10 counts of sodomy on a child and 15 counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, all first-degree felonies.
According to prosecutors, a woman reported to a co-worker that her now adult children had been sexually abused by Petersen when they were children. The woman later spoke to officers with the Logan City Police Department.
As part of the investigation, police interviewed the victims, a man and woman, who both reported similar incidents years ago when they were young.
The female victim described being sexually abused and molested by Petersen from the time she was in preschool, until preteen age. She said all of the incidents she could remember occurred in Nibley.
The male victim was also interviewed and explained how he was sodomized 15-20 times by Petersen. The abuse occurred when the boy would have been around 9-years-old.
Petersen did not testify during the trial. During the investigation, he was questioned by police, and reportedly denied the incidents ever occurred.
Following the jury’s verdict, Judge Spencer Walsh ordered Petersen to be taken into custody, citing that he posed a significant physical and psychological threat to the victims.
Petersen will be sentenced Nov. 26 and could face up to life in prison.