Derrick Starley

Sources

1. Utah man sentenced for crime committed on LDS mission in Chubbuck, Idaho State Journal, December 17, 2013.

• 1. Utah man sentenced for crime committed on LDS mission in Chubbuck

  • 20131217
  • News article
  • Idaho State Journal

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  POCATELLO — A Cedar City, Utah, man convicted of felony injury to a child stemming from inappropriate contact with a 16-year-old child in 2012, was placed on probation Monday and sentenced to spend the next 10 days in Bannock County Jail.

  Derrick Starley was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chubbuck when the incident occurred. He was originally charged with sexual battery of child 16 or 17 years old. He was charged in May of this year stemming from an incident that happened in October of 2012.

  Starley pleaded guilty to the reduced charge in early November as part of a plea agreement through which prosecutors agreed that they would not oppose probation but also said they would likely ask for local jail time.

  JaNiece Prices, assistant chief deputy prosecutor for Bannock County did just that. She said that based on the presentence investigation report and psycho-sexual evaluation, Starley did not appear to be a substantial risk to re-offend, but that he did need treatment for an addiction to pornography.

  She asked Sixth District Judge Robert Naftz for local jail time and that the treatment be a part of Starley’s conditions for probation. She also recommended Starley’s probation be a lengthy term to assure he has time for that treatment.

  The victim’s father then spoke to the judge, conveying the depth to which the incident has affected the victim and their family. He then said the family has forgiven Starley and only hopes that he gets the treatment he needs.

  Starley’s attorney, Anthony Sasser, told Naftz that his client works full time, lives with his family in Cedar City and has been cooperative with law enforcement and the court throughout the legal process. Starley’s lack of a criminal record, he said, warrants an opportunity on probation.

  Starley then spoke to Naftz about some of the treatment he was already undergoing in Cedar City. He admitted his addiction to pornography and said the goals of his treatment include correcting his views of women and the respect with which they should be treated. He said his addiction began as a 12-year-old child.

  Naftz agreed that Starley was a good candidate for probation based on all the information made available to him. He placed Starley on five years probation and also agreed to give him a withheld judgment. But the judge did say some consequence for his actions must be given.

  The judge sentenced Starley to serve 10 days in the Bannock County Jail in addition to the five days he spent in jail when first arrested, meaning he will spend Christmas in jail.

  “You affected people by your conduct,” Naftz told Starley. “There has to be some kind of consequence so you understand.”