LOGAN — A 39-year-old Logan man has been sentenced to six months’ in jail and three years’ probation for sexually assaulting a woman, he had previously had a relationship with. David “Carson” Bessinger was arrested more than two years ago after an investigation by the Logan City Police Department.
According to court records, Bessinger was sentenced Feb. 5 in Logan’s 1st District Court. He previously accepted a plea deal, pleading “no contest” to aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; and three counts of sexual battery, a class A misdemeanor.
The plea meant Bessinger conceded the alleged charges occurred without admitting guilt or offering a defense. It is still viewed as a guilty plea in court.
According to prosecutors, Logan police began investigating Bessinger after the victim reported being raped several times between 2007 and 2017.
The woman told officers how during one incident, she and Bessinger were in the basement of a residence in Logan. The two had been drinking, when he carried her into a bedroom and raped her.
The woman said, she had too much to drink to be able to consent to sex.
Another incident later occurred at a residence in Hyde Park. The victim said she had been sick and taken NyQuil to help her sleep. She later awoke to find Bessinger again raping her.
As the investigation continued, the victim confronted Bessinger during a recorded phone call with law enforcement. As the two talked, the defendant admitted to taking advantage of her, when she was sometimes too drunk to say “no,” according to the arrest report.
According court records, Judge Brian Cannell also ordered Bessinger to have no contact with the victim, be placed on the sex-offender registry, and complete treatment.