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An Ogden daycare worker pleads guilty to child sexual exploitation

An Ogden daycare worker pleads guilty to child sexual exploitation

A daycare worker charged with aggravated sexual assault of a five-year-old child, a first-degree felony, aggravated sexual exploitation of the same child, also a first-degree felony, and obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, has had his plea changed.

Tanner Wayne Dobson, 31, appeared in Second District Court in Ogden on Wednesday with his defense attorney, Roy Cole, where Nicholas Kane, a deputy Weber County prosecutor, laid out for the judge the factual basis for what he did. A recording of the hearing obtained by 2News Investigates does not show the factual basis for the prosecutor reading aloud the details of the crime the accused committed before the defendant pleads guilty. However, the probable cause affidavit clearly states that Dobson’s victim suffered sexual abuse and exploitation on Jan. 9, 2024, at the Progressive Preschool and Childcare Center in South Ogden.

The plea agreement shows that Dobson admitted to taking the five-year-old student to the kindergarten during gym class and forcing the child to undress, touching the child’s private parts and taking pictures of the child. It also states that Dobson told the child not to tell anyone.

His trial was supposed to take place in mid-February.

Second District Court Judge Christina Ortega asked Dobson if he understood the consequences of pleading guilty and what the mandatory minimum sentence would be. “Fifteen years to life in prison, and it’s required by law. You understand that,” she said. He replied, “Yes ma’am.”

Dobson then pleaded guilty.

Judge Ortega said, “On count 1, first degree felony, aggravated child sexual abuse, what is your plea?”

Dobson replied, “Your honor is guilty.”

“Regarding count 2, first degree aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, what is your request,” Judge Ortega asked.

Dobson said, “Your honor is guilty.”

At that point, the judge told him: “I accept your guilty plea, I believe it was knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently entered, and as part of the plea agreement I am going to dismiss count 3.”

And having finished this, the judge marked the date of the court session.

“Based on the request, I’m going to strike down the jury trial that was scheduled for February 18, 20 and 21,” she said.

MORE on the Tanner Dobson case:

In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed count 3 of obstruction of justice.

At the time of the crime, Dobson was working at Progressive Preschool and Child Care Center in Ogden, which is owned by his mother. He was accused of sexually abusing other children in his care.

This was the first successful case.

The victim’s parents have agreed to speak with 2News Investigates if we protect their identities because they do not want their child identified as a victim of Dobson’s sexual assault.

The child’s mother said when asked when she learned from Dobson’s mother, Jamie Bitton, that her child had been sexually assaulted: “I think I was in a state of shock and disbelief. Shock, really, it’s just a parent’s worst nightmare.”

The victim’s father had this to say about the fact that Dobson should have served a mandatory minimum of fifteen years in prison, and possibly life. “It’s good to know he’s going to be behind bars for at least fifteen years so he can’t do this to other kids or continue to do this to our child.”

He said: “They’re just hoping that the news that Tanner has been jailed for 15 years and brings attention to this case will get people to come forward and tell their story.”

The victim’s parents have since filed a civil lawsuit against Dobson, Bitton, her father Wayne Carlos and his wife, Denise, and Elite Gymnastics Academy in Second District Court before the same criminal judge, Judge Ortega, who presided over the civil case. 2News Investigates attempted to contact attorneys for the defendants for this report prior to its airing, but was unsuccessful.

According to the lawsuit, it is owned and operated by Carlos Properties, Jamie Bitton and her father, Wayne Carlos. Carlos and his wife, Denise, own the property where he works in South Ogden.

The lawsuit says, “Carlos Properties, Jamie and Wayne promote Progressive Preschool as a safe environment for children with competent, licensed professionals,” and that the website makes “several material claims.”

The lawsuit specifically states that the statements were false; they also omitted material facts related to the employment of Jamie’s son and Wayne’s grandson, Tanner, who was and is a sexual predator and pedophile.”

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the parents by attorneys Bronson Bill and Judson Burton with the law firm Parker & McConkie, says that “Progressive Preschool advertises its relationship with Elite Gymnastics by stating that its students will have weekly lessons with a gymnastics coach from Elite Gymnastics.” .

The victim was then reportedly enrolled in a gymnastics program and attended classes every Monday, and staff members, including Dobson, drove the victim and other students from the preschool to Elite Gymnastics. It is then alleged that Dobson “groomed” the child at the preschool and continued to “groom” the child during the trip from the preschool to Elite Gymnastics and after they arrived at Elite Gymnastics. On the day Dobson sexually assaulted the child, the lawsuit says, upon arriving at Elite Gymnastics, Dobson separated the child from other students and adults and took his victim alone to an upstairs room, telling the child, “They’re going to go upstairs. play”.

It goes on to say: “After sexually assaulting, photographing and videotaping” the child, he told his victim not to tell anyone about the “games” they had been having because it was their “secret”.

Back at the preschool, the lawsuit says, a worker overheard the child tell another student about the secret with Tanner. The employee asked the child who told him what happened. The same worker filed a complaint with the Department of Children and Family Services, and when his mother was told of the allegations against her son, she fired him.

According to the lawsuit, Bitton called the victim’s mother the next day to tell her he had been fired and that she would receive a call from DCFS. That’s when the victim’s mother confirmed to 2News Investigates that she went to the preschool to meet in person with Bitton, who repeatedly apologized for sexually abusing and harming her child and reiterated that he had fired his son. It also said Bitton learned police were heading to her home to question her son and accused her of tipping her son off.

The lawsuit states, “In response, Tanner deleted the photos and videos he had taken of the child” on his phone before police got there, then deleted the photos and videos from his phone and performed a permanent factory reset. destruction of evidence.

The victim’s mother told 2News Investigates, “I was outraged that her actions affected our case.”

As previously mentioned, 2News Investigates has called and emailed all of the attorneys for the defendants in the lawsuit, but has yet to hear back. Court filings show attorneys Heidi Goebel, Ella Smith and Vincent Stevens responded to most of the allegations: “They have no information or knowledge sufficient to believe the allegations,” and entered objections.

Dobson’s sentence will be announced on March 19.

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