Utah woman sentenced to prison for sexual abuse of 14-year-old boy
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 5:32 pm
https://www.abc4.com/news/wasatch-front ... ual-abuse/:
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A Utah woman has been sentenced to prison after being convicted of the forcible sexual abuse of a 14-year-old boy, according to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
Rocio Isabel Smith, 45, was sentenced on Jan. 3, 2025, to serve a sentence between one and 15 years for each of the two counts of forcible sexual abuse. A jury convicted Smith of two counts of felony forcible sexual abuse on Nov. 8, 2024, and her sentences are set to run concurrently, according to the DA’s office.
“We expect the adults in our community to protect our children, not exploit them,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in a statement. “We appreciate the jury finding the defendant guilty of both charges and the judge for sending the defendant to prison for these heinous crimes.”
The incident occurred in October 2021, when the then-14-year-old victim was visiting Smith’s home. Smith reportedly touched the boy under his shirt and continued to do so “even after he told her he was only 14 years old,” the DA’s office said.
Smith locked the victim in a dark room with her and attempted to take off his belt, even though he repeatedly told her no. At one point, she punched him in the chest after he said no. Smith also reportedly touched the victim over his clothes and “made him touch her,” the DA’s office said.
The district attorney’s office expressed gratitude toward detectives with the Sandy Police Department who assisted with the case. A status hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 21.