Las Vegas man sentenced to 5 years for exploiting a minor in Cedar City

By Tracie Sullivan, for Iron County Today

A 37-year-old Las Vegas man was sentenced last week to two five-year prison sentences after being convicted on charges of indecent assault.

Vernon Ross was sentenced to Utah State Prison for attempted sexual exploitation and unlawful sexual conduct with a 16-17 year old, both third-degree felonies.

Although each conviction carries a separate sentence, the judge ruled that they would be served concurrently. The maximum time he can spend in prison is five years.

Initially, Ross was charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, all second-degree felonies; one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a 16 or 17 year old, a third-degree felony; and two misdemeanor counts related to furnishing alcohol and tobacco products to a minor.

Most of these charges were dismissed as part of a settlement. Prosecutors subsequently reduced one of the second-degree crimes of sexual exploitation to attempted sexual exploitation, a third-degree crime.

The charges against Ross stemmed from an incident in early May, when the man was accused of inappropriate sexual conduct with a 17-year-old girl at a Cedar City hotel.

According to court documents, police began investigating the incident after receiving a report of a runaway juvenile on June 2. During the investigation, authorities discovered that the girl had called Ross several times before leaving the house, leading them to believe she was with her. it.

The following Monday, Ross contacted police and told them that he had been with the youth at the hotel the Saturday before when police were looking for her. He admitted to investigators that he had “consensual sexual intercourse” with the girl, but did not know at the time that she was under 18 years old.

“At that time he thought she was 18, but due to the 20-year age difference, this fact is not relevant,” the investigating officer said in the statement.

The two had communicated via social media before arranging to meet in person. Ross told police the two met in early May through an online adult dating app and exchanged numerous sexually explicit images via Snapchat.

“(Ross) stated he believed she was 18, but when he found out Monday she was 17, he videoed and took screenshots of their entire Snapchat conversation, including the child sexual abuse material,” the affidavit said declaration.

The police found dozens of sexual images of the young person on his phone. Ross admitted that there was also a video on his wife’s phone.

In addition, Ross provided the youth with a nicotine vapor and alcohol.