Man charged in brutal Provo rape violated parole, may return to prison, judge says

PROVO — A 4th District judge paved the way Wednesday for Shawn Leonard, who is charged with the brutal rape and attempted murder of a woman near her Provo apartment, to return to prison for violating his parole.

Judge Claudia Laycock found that Leonard violated his parole on June 8 when he walked away from a work-release program in Lindon. The next day, police say, he raped and tried to kill a woman on the Provo River Trail, then robbed a Provo clothing store later that day.

Prosecutors earlier indicated that sending him back to prison for the parole violation would ensure that Leonard remains behind bars while his other cases are prosecuted.

He is scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 15. After that hearing, Laycock can send Leonard back to prison to complete two consecutive zero-to-five-year sentences for previous felony convictions. He was approved for probation to participate in the Utah County Jail work-release program in both cases by two separate judges, but walked away the second day he was involved in the program.

"He knew where he needed to go, and that was back to the jail," Laycock said.

He will remain in jail until the September hearing.

Leonard is charged with attempted aggravated murder, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping, all first-degree felonies, in connection with the attack. He faces charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping, also first-degree felonies, in connection with the robbery; and escape from official custody, a third-degree felony, in the escape from the work-release program.

— Marc Haddock