Lovell man sentenced on sex charges

After a nearly year-long plea agreement negotiation, which included a change of plea, a Lovell man was sentenced to 12-18 years at the Wyoming State Penitentiary for sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree on Tuesday, March 3, at the Fifth Judicial District Court in Basin. 

The man (name withheld to protect the teenage victim), whose birth year is listed as 1984, initially faced 16 felony charges including sexual abuse of a minor, incest and child abuse in spring of 2025, amounting to up to 110 years’ imprisonment and/or fines up to $50,000. He originally entered a not guilty plea on all charges, later changing that to an Alford plea on one count of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree pursuant to a plea agreement, thereby avoiding a jury trial. 

“The court treats that the same as a guilty plea for the purposes of sentencing,” Judge Bobbi Overfield said Tuesday. 

Lovell police officer Cody Clark reported that he was dispatched to Lovell High School on Feb. 3, 2025, to meet with Department of Family Services and a student regarding a potential sexual assault case, which kicked off the investigation. During the man’s sentencing, Deputy County and Prosecuting Attorney Kimberly Mickelson relayed that the initial response followed a mandatory report from a suicide hotline after his victim, his 14-year-old daughter, sent in an anonymous text in January 2025.

Further investigation found five separate incidents where the man allegedly inappropriately touched the victim while she was staying at his apartment in Lovell starting in November 2024. He has denied any impropriety ever occurred throughout the investigation, though his Alford plea concedes that the prosecution has enough evidence to convict him on that count.

The victim’s stepfather read an impact statement on her behalf Tuesday. 

“The defendant was supposed to be my dad … he was supposed to protect me, not hurt me,” the victim, now 15, wrote. She expressed an ongoing sense of fear and lack of trust following the abuse and stated her father never apologized to her or admitted what he did.

Her mother reported “serious ongoing concern” for their family’s safety. She alleged the abuse followed concerning behavior on the man’s behalf, including threatening texts following their divorce in 2024 and an ongoing problem with alcohol addiction that has previously endangered their children. She described his behavior toward their daughter as manipulation and grooming, indebting her to him and distorting her perception of love and boundaries. 

The offender gave no allocution. 

The victim’s mother asked for a court ruling that would ensure their safety, without fear of him returning. Mickelson later reported that both the victim and her mother had approved of the plea agreement. Public defense attorney Sarah Miles added that the victim would be an adult by the end of the man’s sentence, with her two younger sisters approaching or reaching adulthood, as well. 

As part of his sentence, the offender will be prohibited from contacting the victim or any other minors. In accordance with the presentence investigation suggestions, Overfield instated a requirement that he submit to a psychosexual assessment upon entry at WSP and follow through with any following recommendations. He also qualified as an addicted offender, to receive 3.5 level treatment while incarcerated.