Logan River Academy
LOGAN — The sexual assault case against a 38-year-old Fielding woman has been dismissed after prosecutors said the accuser stopped cooperating with them. Linsie D. Thornock, who previously worked at Logan River Academy, had been charged with allegedly touching the female resident of the treatment center for troubled teens.
According to court records, Judge Brian Cannell signed an order dismissing the case against Thornock, Thursday in 1st District Court. She had previously been charged with one count of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.
Thornock’s defense attorney, Brian Craig explained his client vehemently denied all allegations from the start and never wavered. “It is unfortunate that her reputation has been harmed through this ordeal that has lasted nearly a year. At the end of the day, justice was served,” he said.
Thornock was arrested in March after the female resident reported being molested to staff members. The teenage girl claimed Thornock touched her privates, and then asked if it excited her.
During a preliminary hearing in September, Craig had questioned the girl’s recorded statements. He claimed the alleged victim had made previous accusations against other staff members that were later determined to be false.
Judge Cannell had ordered staff at Logan River Academy to produce certain documents, including the accuser’s counseling records and any reports of allegations that the resident made toward other staff members. A review hearing on the subpoena was scheduled this Thursday, before prosecutors filed a request to dismiss the case.
Craig said when he told Thornock that her case had been dismissed, she cried with a huge sense of relief. The former teen center treatment employee is considering whether to bring a civil action. At the time of her arrest in March, her booking photo was shown in numerous news outlets.
In May, a new Utah law went into effect, prohibiting mug shot photos from being used by the media until a defendant is convicted.
Craig said, “At the very least, Linsie will not go to prison for something that simply never happened, which is some level of vindication.”
There have been previous allegations of sexual misconduct at Logan River Academy. In August, a federal appeals court ruled that a civil case against the academy involving allegations of sexual abuse by an employee is barred by the statute of limitations.
In 2019, an 18-year-old woman, Rachael Manard, who was a resident at the academy, was convicted of three counts of misdemeanor sexual battery of another resident. She was sentenced to continue treatment at the center after pleading no contest to sexual battery.
will@cvradio.com