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By Theo Burman
Live News Reporter
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An 18-year-old in Utah who was accused of having sex with a 13-year-old avoided jail after the laws governing sexual offenses were changed while his relative was president of the state Senate.
Senate President J. Stuart Adams confided to legislators that the law relating to his relative's case should be reviewed in a large bill that was passed in 2024, according to a report from The Salt Lake Tribune.
Adams told The Salt Lake Tribune: "Some have suggested this change was made to benefit the case I was made aware of involving the high school senior. That is simply not true.
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"While the sponsor of [the bill] was aware of the case, I did not request the legislation and did not intervene or give input on the drafting of the bill."
Newsweek reached out to Adams via email for further comment.
Why It Matters
The fact that the 18-year-old was related to someone with significant political power in Utah has raised questions over whether or not the legislation was adopted in order to make the sentencing less strict.
While the law did not apply retroactively and the 18-year-old was not charged with the new lower-level crime created by the bill, they nonetheless avoided further jail time and were not required to register as a sex offender after the bill was passed.
What To Know
SB213, a 49-page bill sponsored by Republican Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, passed into law in March 2024, changing sentencing rules over sex between teenagers.
Prior to the bill passing, the 18-year-old could have faced a charge of child rape, a first-degree felony that would have required them to register as a sex offender, along with a prison sentence ranging anywhere from six years to life in jail.
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However, the bill allowed a clause that lets 17-year-olds receive a less serious third-degree charge of unlawful sexual activity to be extended to 18-year-olds, provided they were still in high school.
The new bill did not apply to cases brought before it became law, but the 18-year-old was not given any jail time beyond the initial week they had spent, after they pleaded guilty to reduced charges.
Prosecutor and defense attorney for the case, Cara Tangaro, said in court hearings that the legislation had been crucial to the improved plea deal, telling Judge Rita Cornish at sentencing, "You saw the legislative change. We all agree that's not retroactive, but the government did change their offer based on that."
The bill's sponsor, Cullimore, told the Tribune that Adams had requested that the charges against the relative be looked into for the legislation. Adams denied using his political power to benefit a relative.
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What People Are Saying
The mother of the 13-year-old told The Salt Lake Tribune: "I feel like a law is the law, regardless of who you are, but that wasn't what was going on here. I feel like [the 18-year-old] just got special treatment...and nobody was going to say anything about it."
What Happens Next
Utah will continue to use the new law for sex offenses going forward for all cases.
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