LOGAN — A 70-year-old Wellsville man faces a felony charge after allegedly admitting to hospital staff and sheriff’s deputies that he sexually abused a toddler nearly a decade ago.
Duane Steven Brown was booked into the Cache County Jail on Feb. 4 on one count of sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony. The charge stems from an incident alleged to have occurred on Dec. 16, 2017.
The investigation began in December when the Division of Child and Family Services in Tooele notified local authorities of a report involving child sexual abuse from eight years prior. While a forensic interview with the victim did not yield a disclosure, investigators learned Brown had been admitted to the Behavioral Health Unit at Logan Regional Hospital in November 2025.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Brown sought treatment for depression stemming from the reporting of the incident. Subpoenaed medical records revealed Brown told a doctor and a clinical social worker he was experiencing anxiety because he “did not believe that he would make it into heaven”.
Medical notes indicated Brown disclosed that while the victim, who was 4 years old at the time, was sleeping at his home, he lifted her skirt and underwear to view her privates. The records also noted Brown had previously been excommunicated from his church for “sexual addiction” and exposing himself to minors in 1998.
A Cache County Sheriff’s deputy interviewed Brown at his home on Feb. 3. After receiving a Miranda warning, Brown allegedly admitted to the conduct, demonstrating what he had done.
Brown told the deputy he had been watching adult pornography at the time and admitted he was “stirred up” and looking for ways to gratify his sexual addiction. When asked if he moved from pornography to looking at the child because he thought it would be simple, Brown reportedly replied that “she wouldn’t know because she was four years old”.
Brown appeared Monday in Logan’s 1st District Court. He has been charged with sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony. He is being held in jail on a $10,000 bond.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.