David Lee Hamblin

Summary

UPDATE Mar. 27, 2025: The Utah County Sheriff’s Office issued the following statement:

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David Hamblin Press Release
03/27/2025 11:46:31 am

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office was shocked to learn that the court dismissed a case against David Hamblin with prejudice based on so-called “discovery abuses.” The Utah County Sheriff’s Office disputes several of the alleged facts that the court included as support for this outcome in its Ruling and Order. Contrary to that ruling, the Sheriff’s Office timely provided prosecutors with all evidence related to this case so that they could disclose it under the rules of discovery in criminal cases.

During the court process, the defendant’s attorney repeatedly raised several questions about alleged failures to disclose evidence, including the victim’s statements and correspondence between the victim and investigators. The Utah County Sheriff’s Office anticipated that the Court would resolve these issues at an evidentiary hearing where investigators could detail the evidence they had provided to the prosecution and answer any relevant concerns about the process of disclosure. The Sheriff’s Office further anticipated that the prosecution would itself take the opportunity to detail what evidence it had provided to the defense and when it had provided that evidence. But a careful examination of all the court records will clearly show that at no time were investigators nor the victim given the opportunity to present any evidence to the court to refute the defense allegations of delay and improper withholding of evidence. An evidentiary hearing was never requested, and thus never occurred. Consequently, the Court was left to adjudicate these issues based on a one-sided presentation of these issues by the defense. This complete lack of due process resulting in the dismissal of heinous charges of sex abuse of a child based on an incomplete evidentiary picture is extremely concerning.

Had an evidentiary hearing been held, the Sheriff’s Office believes that its investigators would have been able to demonstrate that they had timely provided all relevant evidence to prosecution. For example, the court would have learned that on October 4th, 2023, the previous prosecutor’s office reviewed with the defense all the evidence that had been provided, and the defense attorney acknowledged that they had received everything. Despite this acknowledgment, the defense later alleged that a specific report detailing an interview with the victim had been withheld. The court relied on this allegation to support its dismissal order. But the Sheriff’s Office had sent this specific report, along with the entirety of this case, to the prosecutor in September of 2022, shortly following David Hamblin’s arrest. In fact, on Feb. 5th, 2025, the prosecutor confirmed that all discovery, including this specific report, had been disseminated. The court also relied on a statement from investigators allegedly expressing disappointment that they were required to provide discovery before a preliminary hearing was held in this case. But that statement was taken wholly out of context and had nothing to do with providing evidence to the defense. Rather, investigators were expressing disappointment only that certain evidence had been made available to the public. These facts refute the Court’s assertion that the Sheriff’s Office was attempting to delay disclosing evidence in any way.

The court also relied on a concern that the defense raised concerning certain statements made by the victim. But had an evidentiary hearing been held, the victim could have provided critical context necessary to resolve the issues raised by the defense. Again, neither the investigators nor the victim was ever given the opportunity to explain themselves or address the defense allegations.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office is committed to investigating sexual assaults and all crimes against children whether they occurred recently or years ago. The life altering impact on child victims is the same. The fact that the court dismissed with prejudice these charges against David Hamblin without one word of testimony from the victim or the investigators is abhorrent.

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David Hamblin and his ex-wife Roselle “Rosie” Stevenson were LDS/Mormon church members in Utah who allegedly took part in ritualistic child sex abuse over a period of multiple years, with multiple victims.

See also: Ritualized sexual abuse

New case: Six counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child filed in 6th District Court-Manti against David Lee Hamblin. This latest victim came forward after Hamblin was arrested and booked on 9/28/22.

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Additional Sexual Abuse Charges Filed Against David Hamblin
10/18/2022 11:58:48 am

Six additional aggravated sexual abuse of a child charges have been filed against David Lee Hamblin for abuse that occurred in Spring City in Sanpete County.

*** PRESS RELEASE October 18, 2022 ***

In early October 2022 Detectives with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office were contacted by a person who told them they were repeatedly sexually abused by David Lee Hamblin in the early 1990’s in Spring City, Utah. The victim in this case told Detectives the abuse occurred at Hamblin’s home where the victim was taken for therapy sessions. The victim disclosed to Detectives that during these sessions Hamblin made the victim masturbate Hamblin. The victim also disclosed that Hamblin forcibly sexually abused the victim. The victim also described that Hamblin administered religious blessings during some of the therapy sessions. The victim described disclosing the abuse, but that the concerns expressed were not taken seriously because of Hamblin’s standing both in the Spring City community and Hamblin’s standing because of his membership in and involvement with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After multiple times being abused under the guise of therapy sessions, the victim was no longer required to attend those sessions. The victim also described being afraid that Hamblin would cause the victim injury should the abuse be disclosed to anyone outside the therapy sessions. Investigators have been able to corroborate this victim’s statements with other witnesses.

On Tuesday, October 17, 2022, in Sixth Judicial District Court in Manti, six counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child were filed against David Hamblin. While Hamblin is not yet currently booked on these new charges, he is still being held in the without bail in the Utah County Jail on seven other child sexual abuse related charges from a separate case.