Vernal quadriplegic indicted on child pornography charges

SALT LAKE CITY — A Vernal man who is a quadriplegic has been indicted by a federal grand jury on two child pornography charges.

The indictment was made public Thursday after Steven C. Goff was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City on one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Goff, 42, was initially charged in 8th District Court with six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony; two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a third-degree felony; two counts of distribution of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor; and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a class B misdemeanor.

Uintah County prosecutors dismissed their case once federal prosecutors obtained an indictment.

State court charging documents allege that Goff's 17-year-old son brought a 14-year-old girl home on July 31. The girl, a runaway, said that during her five-day stay at the home, she had sex multiple times with Goff's son, investigators said. She was also provided with marijuana, prescription drugs and alcohol by Goff in exchange for allowing him to take nude photographs of her with his cell phone camera, according to the charges.

Goff has been legally deemed a quadriplegic but has limited use of his hands, according to Uintah County Sheriff's Chief Deputy John Laursen.

Based on the girl's statements, deputies obtained a search warrant for the Goff home, where they said they seized drugs, Goff's cell phone and several computers that were expected to be sent to the state crime lab for forensic analysis.

Deputies arrested Goff and his son following the search. The boy, who has since been released from the Split Mountain Youth Detention Center in Vernal, is facing multiple charges in juvenile court. A pretrial conference in his case is set for Dec. 17.

Goff is not in custody, either. His jury trial in federal court is scheduled to begin Jan. 24. If convicted, he faces 15 to 30 years in prison for producing child pornography and up to 10 years in prison for possessing it. Each charge carries a possible fine of $250,000.

e-mail: geoff@ubstandard.com

Twitter: GeoffLiesik