WASHINGTON, Washington County, Utah Sept. 14, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A 37-year-old staff member at a residential treatment facility has been arrested for alleged sexual offenses involving a teenage resident.
Sean Michael Stanley, of St. George, was arrested for alleged unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a third-degree felony, and misdemeanor counts of sexual abuse of a minor, and providing a nicotine product to a minor, for a vaping device provided after each of the alleged sex acts.
The felony offenses described are statutory, related to age differences, meaning a victim is underage, too young to legally consent to sexual contact.
Washington City police began an investigation Feb. 16 after a report that the alleged 15-year old victim at the facility had been sexually abused by a staffer.
The juvenile girl told police the first incident occurred after she left the facility in anger, and Stanley picked her up in his vehicle, according to 5th District Court charging documents.
They drove to a secluded part of the neighborhood nearby and engaged in a sexual act short of intercourse, according to Stanley’s probable cause affidavit. He then drove the girl back to the facility “encouraging her not to speak with anyone about this and expressed the possibility of the two of them having sex in the future.”
The second alleged offense came the next day, police said, after Stanley and the teen had gone to a movie with another staff member, who later complained of feeling unwell, and was dropped off at home, leaving Stanley alone with the girl. He drove her to a similar secluded area where a similar sexual encounter occurred, according to the allegations.
Police said documents at the facility where Stanley works appear to corroborate the victim’s accounts. Stanley had been previously admonished for taking a resident for a drive in his vehicle alone “to avoid false accusations/creating unsafe environments.”
Interviewing staff, police found a general opinion that Stanley was overly friendly with staff and clients “and would hang out in the female housing area despite being assigned elsewhere.”
According to the affidavit, Stanley has admitted to the drives alone with the victim, but denied any sexual activity took place.
