Man pleads guilty in Web assault case

PROVO — The man accused of sexually assaulting a woman he met through a Web site for LDS singles pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated assault.

Sean Register, 34, of Orem, was originally charged with aggravated sexual assault, a first-degree felony, but entered a guilty plea as a compromise with prosecutors, who agreed to drop the charge to third-degree felony aggravated assault.

The compromise outlined that prosecutors would not seek prison time, although jail could be an option.

Defense attorney Greg Skordas also asked that if Register was granted probation — and finished successfully — that the charge be dropped even lower, to a class A misdemeanor.

In September 2004, Register, a former corrections officer at the Utah State Prison, set up a meeting with a woman after a few online chats on www.LDSMingle.com. They also talked on the phone a few times.

The two met in a parking lot in Orem, then drove to his home where they watched a movie. After the movie, the woman said Register sexually assaulted her, according to court documents.

A third-degree felony carries a charge of zero to five years in prison, whereas a first-degree felony means five to life.

Register will be sentenced Sept. 20.