Utah Parents Allegedly Admit to Raping Teen, Claiming It Was 'Safer' than Sex with Strangers: Police
The girl's mother and stepfather face multiple charges, jail records show
George Frey/Getty
A 15-year-old girl alleged her stepfather has been sexually abusing her for more than a year, per authorities
The man and the girl's mother allegedly admitted to authorities they had engaged in "sexual acts" with the teenager, an affidavit reportedly states
Both the man and woman are being held without bail
A Utah couple is accused of raping their teenage daughter and saying they did so because they deemed it “safer” than for the girl to engage sexually with "strangers,” court documents allege, according to multiple reports.
The couple were taken into custody on Thursday by police in Provo, Utah, and charged with forcible sodomy, object rape and forcible sexual abuse, online jail records show. The man faces an additional charge of rape.
On Thursday, police responded to a call from the alleged victim who claimed her stepfather, a man in his mid-30s, had been raping her for more than a year, KSL, ABC 4 and KUTV report, citing a probable cause affidavit, arrest documents and court documents.
The girl, 15, told authorities that both the man and the woman had been engaging in sexual activity with her since she was 14, court documents show, per KUTV; the couple allegedly admitted to these accusations when asked by police, according to the affidavit, KSL reports.
PEOPLE is not naming the couple in order to protect the alleged victim’s identity.
According to the affidavit, the couple learned about a year ago that the teenager was interacting with strangers online and had the intention to meet them for sexual activities, KSL reports.
According to the affidavit, the parents learned that the teen had chatted and shared photos of herself "in sexual situations" with strangers on Snapchat, ABC 4 reports, citing the affidavit.
The couple allegedly “decided that teaching the victim about sex, and engaging in sexual acts with the victim would be safer for her than having sex with strangers,” the affidavit claims, according to KSL.
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The man allegedly told investigators that the couple bought sex toys for the teenager, and admitted to taking showers with her, per the arrest documents, ABC 4 reports.
The woman allegedly told authorities she confronted her husband about "having full intercourse" with the teen, according to the arrest documents, per ABC 4.
Both the man and the woman are being held without bail, jail records show. It wasn’t immediately clear if they have entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on their behalf.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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