Booking photo for Scott Garza (Courtesy: Cache County Jail)
LOGAN — A jury has found a 39-year-old Smithfield man guilty of sexually abusing and raping a young girl for years. Scott Garza will now wait to be sentenced next month, where he faces the possibility of life in prison.
Court records show, the jury found Garza guilty of 10 counts of rape of a child and 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, all first-degree felonies. The verdict was reached Friday, following a four-day trial in 1st District Court.
Smithfield City police officers began investigating Garza in March 2021. A then 13-year-old girl told officers how she had been raped repeatedly, resulting in her becoming pregnant. She said the sexual abuse had been occurring twice a week since she was 7.
A forensic interview and medical examination was conducted at the Cache Children’s Justice Center. The exam confirmed the teenage girl was approximately 20 weeks pregnant. She said Garza was the father and explained how he would rape or molest her for the past six years.
Police questioned Garza, who originally denied the claims. He later explained that he had been going through a lot with his ex-wife and had been drinking often. The interrogation ended when he requested an attorney.
Garza was originally arrested March 29, 2021. He has been held in the Cache County Jail since then without bail.
According to court records, Judge Spencer Walsh ordered Garza to remain in jail following the jury’s verdict. He scheduled sentencing for June 26.