Defense lawyer named for nurse's aide in rape

A man accused of rape made an initial appearance Wednesday in 3rd District Court and said he was indigent, so 3rd District Judge Vernice Trease appointed a public defender to represent him.

Jacob Mut Bolith, 30, was supposed to have appeared in court Tuesday, but that appearance was delayed due to another court matter.

Bolith has been charged with first-degree felony rape, second-degree forcible sexual abuse and class-A misdemeanor sexual battery.

Prosecutors say Bolith, who was working as a certified nurse's aide despite having lost his CNA license, raped an 85-year-old female at Christus St. Joseph Villa. A physical examination confirmed she had been raped. In addition, law enforcement officials are investigating claims of abuse at Bolith's hands from dozens of other individuals.

It is unclear why Bolith was permitted to keep working with elderly patients after there were findings against him in another, unrelated, 2006 case involving an older woman in a different facility who said Bolith had touched her inappropriately.

He is being held in the Salt Lake County Jail on $250,000 bail.