LOGAN — A 74-year-old Nibley man is headed to prison for sexually assaulting a little girl five years ago. Curtis D. Rudd was originally arrested in August 2022 after an investigation by Cache County Sheriff’s deputies.
Rudd was sentenced Monday, July 29, in Logan’s 1st District Court. He previously accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony.
According to prosecutors, the father of the victim contacted law enforcement after Rudd disclosed the crime to him. The defendant admitted to inappropriately touching the little girl in 2019, while he was caring for the child at his home.
The father told Cache County Sheriff’s deputies, Rudd had first confessed the crime to his church clergy. Multiple family members later verified the defendant had disclosed the same incident to them, “saying he made a huge mistake and would probably be going to jail.”
Deputies determined the juvenile victim would have been an infant at the time of the incident.
During Monday’s sentencing, defense attorney Wayne Caldwell asked the court for a lighter sentence. He explained how his client had self-reported the crime and had no other criminal history.
Cache County Deputy Attorney Ronnie Keller pointed out though, Rudd only initially spoke to his religious leader and the victim’s family, not law enforcement. He called Rudd’s actions “egregious,” noting how the defendant had been viewing child pornography for several years before the assault occurred.
Rudd said he took responsibility for his actions and would accept the punishment of the court.
Judge Spencer Walsh said Rudd’s actions illustrate how child pornography desensitizes individuals, and can lead to sexually abusing kids. He wished the defendant would have sought help earlier, so this might not have ever happened.
Rudd was sentenced to 10 years to life at the Utah State Correctional Facility. He was led out of the courtroom by bailiffs, as his family watched from the gallery.