Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- A missing report in a child sexual abuse case led to an audit at the Weber County Sheriff's Office.
- The sheriff's office is currently reviewing its procedures to prevent future issues like these.
- County officials apologized and reassigned the case to a new detective.
OGDEN — After a family discovered there was no report on file in a child sexual abuse case they reported more than two years ago, a Utah sheriff's office is now conducting an audit to determine whether similar issues occurred with other cases.
In September 2023, Jordan said her young stepdaughter reported to the Weber County Sheriff's Office that a man sexually abused her when she was just 8 years old. The KSL Investigators are not using Jordan's last name to protect her daughter's privacy.
Frustrated after waiting for two years, the family requested a copy of the police report. That's when they learned the agency couldn't find one. And while the agency initially said the case had been declined for charges by the Weber County Attorney's Office, County Attorney Christopher Allred said the case was never brought to his office.
"The fact that nothing was done by the people that we're supposed to put our trust in to protect us is like a gut punch and a stab in the back," Jordan said.
Jordan and her husband reached out to the KSL Investigators because they wanted to make sure what happened in their daughter's case didn't happen in others. The Weber County Sheriff's Office had initially agreed to an interview last month but later backed out, citing an open investigation. After the agency stopped responding to questions, the KSL Investigators reached out to Weber County commissioners to get answers.
Leadership at the Weber County Sheriff's Office spoke with County Commissioner Sharon Bolos after the KSL Investigators made her aware of our findings.
"They were very adamant about the seriousness of this case and how devastating it is for the family to know that it fell through the cracks," said Bolos. "And so they definitely recognize the seriousness of this, and they do know that there need to be changes going forward."
Bolos said she was reassured during the conversation that the agency made changes in its operations, including a change that occurred weeks ago when the issues surrounding the case were brought to light: All of the agency's criminal cases are now supposed to be submitted to the Weber County Attorney's Office for official review.
When Jordan spoke with the KSL Investigators in November, she expressed disappointment at how the agency had communicated with her family following the discovery, and shared that the agency had not apologized for what happened.
On Friday, a statement released by county officials said, in part, "We would like to apologize to the family affected by this case. This is something that never should have fallen through the cracks. The Weber County Sheriff's Office takes incidents like this very seriously and is working with our attorney's office to ensure this doesn't happen again. The sheriff's office began an audit shortly after learning of the incident, and this case has been reassigned to a detective who is actively working the investigation."
Prior to Friday, the agency had not answered questions about whether an audit would be conducted. It did share that the detective originally assigned to the case is no longer with the sheriff's office and had taken a job at a different agency.
The county's statement on Friday noted, "The sheriff's office is implementing new procedures in the Patrol/Operations Bureau and Investigations Bureau to review all cases assigned to deputies who have left the sheriff's office as well as all cases moving forward."
"I would just want the community to know that the sheriff, the county attorney and the commissioners are working together to ensure that this doesn't happen again," said Bolos. "And we do recognize the seriousness of this, and we want to make sure that the community can trust in the sheriff's office and make sure that they know that if there's a correction to be made, that we are willing and anxious to make those corrections."
Chief deputy Colby Ryan provided additional information by email Friday. When asked whether the changes the agency has made will be reflected in written policy, he wrote, "When this case was brought to our attention we realized some changes needed to be made with how we were presenting them to the county attorney's office. We have made some immediate changes that went into effect last month and when the audit is complete and administrators have the findings a procedural order will be issued with all the changes."
Have you experienced something you think just isn't right? The KSL Investigators want to help. Submit your tip at investigates@ksl.com or 385-707-6153 so we can get working for you.
Child abuse resources:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).
Help with children
Those who feel stressed out with a child, who need a break or who feel like they need counseling or training can reach out to one of the following agencies:
- The Family Support Center has 15 locations throughout the state and offers a free crisis nursery for parents who have to keep appointments or who are stressed out. They also offer counseling and family mentoring. Call 801-955-9110 or visit familysupportcenter.org/contact.php for more information.
- Prevent Child Abuse Utah provides home visiting in Weber, Davis, and Box Elder counties. Parent Educators provide support, education, and activities for families with young children. Their statewide education team offers diverse trainings on protective factors, digital safety, bullying, and child sex trafficking. They are available for in-person or virtual trainings and offer free online courses for the community at pcautah.org.
- The Office of Home Visiting works with local agencies to provide home visits to pregnant women and young families who would like to know more about being parents. Home visitors are trained and can provide information about breastfeeding, developmental milestones, toilet training, nutrition, mental health, home safety, child development, and much more. Find out more at homevisiting.utah.gov.
- The Safe Haven law allows birth parents in Utah to safely and anonymously give up custody of their newborn child at any hospital in the state, with no legal consequences and no questions asked. The child's mother can drop off the child, or the mother can ask someone else to do it for her. The newborns should be dropped off at hospitals that are open 24 hours a day. Newborns given up in this manner will be cared for by the hospital staff, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services will find a home for the child. For more information, visit utahsafehaven.org or call the 24-hour hotline at 866-458-0058.
