PROVO, Utah, Nov. 1, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — The 57-year-old half-brother of Gov. Gary Herbert has pleaded guilty to reduced charges of enticing a minor and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.
Paul Gordon Peters, of Draper, was charged in connection with a May 20 incident in which court documents say he arranged to meet someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl in order to have sex.
Peters sent the online recipient pictures of male genitals, documents said, and had set a Provo location and a time on May 31 for the two to meet.
In fact, Peters was chatting with an undercover police officer.
Sgt. Spencer Cannon of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office told Gephardt Daily at the time that officers met Peters and took him into custody.
“The fact that he was Gov. Herbert’s half-brother had no bearing on the investigation,” Cannon said. “We had no clue of that connection until he mentioned it to investigators after his arrest. It didn’t make a difference.”
Peters was charged with one count of enticing a minor and three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, each a second-degree felony; three counts of dealing in harmful materials to a minor by an adult, third-degree felonies; and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor.
Herbert’s office released a short statement shortly after the arrest to address local media outlets.
“Regardless of who is being accused, the governor finds these charges to be horrific,” the statement said. “The governor’s parents divorced at a young age, and the two were raised in different households.”
On Monday in Fourth District Court, Peters pleaded guilty to reduced charges, three third-degree felonies: two counts of enticing a minor and and one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. Other charges were dropped.
Peters’ sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 12. He faces up to five years on each of the three charges.
