MANTI—Daniel John Stutz, 54, of Indianola, who was arrested on January 31, 2020 on four first-degree felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, is scheduled for a jury trial in November.
Judge Marvin D. Bagley set the trial date June 8 during a pre-trial conference by videocam. The case involves two young women who were children when the abuse started but did not report it until they were teenagers.
In a probable-cause statements, Deputy Jose Jimenez of the Sanpete County Sheriff ’s Office reported he had attended a Children’s Justice Center interview with one of the victims. The victim was 15 at the time but said Stutz had started abusing her when she was 4 years old.
According to Jimenez’s statement, the teen said that when she was a child, Stutz held what he called “cuddle time” with her, which consisted of him lying with her while she was naked. She said the encounters would often involve him rubbing her stomach, chest, and breast, and progressed to areas below the waist. She said the most recent “cuddle time” had occurred earlier that month.
Jimenez also reported interviewing a second victim, who was 18 at the time of Stutz’s arrest. She said she also had been required to engage in cuddle times, which she said started when she was about 6 and continued until she was 13.
The second victim told Jimenez one of the occasions she particularly remembered occurred outside her home in a trailer. She remembered the suspect asking her if she had any questions about how her genitals worked and the changes she was experiencing. She said he used a flashlight underneath the sheets while poking around her pubic area. She said she was 12 or 13 at the time.
Stutz was arrested and transported to jail but later released on $40,000 bail. He entered not-guilty pleas to all charges.
County Attorney, Kevin Daniels said that the defendant has suggested plea arrangements that would spare the victims from testifying in court. But he said the offers have fallen well short of what he considers adequate to serve justice for such serious crimes.
Stutz faces four 15-year-to-life sentences if found guilty on all counts
