Booking photo of Andrew Oakeson (Courtesy: Cache County Jail).
LOGAN — A 28-year-old Logan man has been sentenced to prison for molesting a one-year-old girl last spring. Andrew J. Oakeson was ordered to serve a term of six-years-to-life.
Oakeson was sentenced in 1st District Court Tuesday morning after prior hearings were postponed so attorneys could look at other punishment options. He previously pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony.
Between March and June 2019, Oakeson molested the victim multiple times while viewing pornography on his cell phone. The girl was acquainted with the suspect, who was considered to be a person of trust to her.
Oakeson later disclosed the crimes to a therapist, who reported it to the Department of Child and Family Services. He also admitted to the allegations, when questioned by police.
Previously, Oakeson told the court he accepted responsibility for his actions. He said, “I thought I could beat this addiction on own but it got the better of me.” He also asked for mercy so he could try and fix the pain that he had caused his family.
Defense attorney Shannon Demler asked the court to consider sending Oakeson to an in-patient treatment center instead of prison. He noted how his client was considered “low risk” in both a pre-sentence report and psycho-sexual evaluation.
Judge Brian Cannell said he appreciated Demler’s argument but noted that the law clearly stated that because the crime involved pornography, it mandated a prison sentence. He expressed hope though that Oakeson would receive treatment while incarcerated and make changes to his life.
will@cvradio.com