Booking photo for Brenton S. Nelson. (Courtesy: Cache County Jail)
LOGAN — A 19-year-old Nibley man has been sentenced to three years in prison after previously confessing to attempted rape of a 13-year-old girl. Brenton S. Nelson was led out of the courtroom to begin serving his incarceration after telling a judge he was sorry for what he did.
Nelson was sentenced Monday morning in 1st District Court. He previously accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to one count of attempted rape of a child, a first-degree felony.
Defense attorney Mike McGinnis asked the court to consider a lesser sentence. He explained that Nelson was determined by probation agents to be a low-risk to the community. Based on the defendant’s young age, he said sending him to prison would make things worse.
Nelson spoke briefly, apologizing to the victim and said he wanted to do everything he could to be a better person.
In March 2020, deputies received several anonymous tips indicating that Nelson and Thomas D. Robertson were sexually involved with the victim. The tips were submitted through the sheriff’s office website and the Safe UT app.
Deputies interviewed the victim at the Children’s Justice Center. She disclosed that she had engaged in a sexual relationship with Nelson during the past 2 months. She also described a similar incident, occurring once with Robertson.
During Monday’s sentencing, Cache County Deputy Attorney Griffin Hazard acknowledged Nelson’s remorse but said it is the responsibility of adults to protect children. He explained how the defendant was originally facing a potential sentence of 25 years to life but prosecutors amended the charge, partly due to his young age.
Judge Angela Fonnesbeck said cases like Nelson’s were incredibly difficult because of the young lives and families that had been destroyed. She told the defendant, the law mandated her to send him to prison. She expressed hope though that he would serve his term and be successful in life.
Robertson appeared minutes earlier for a pretrial conference. He has been charged with rape of a child, sodomy on a child, and object rape of a child, all first-degree felonies. He could face up to life in prison, if convicted.
will@cvradio.com